A Novus Orsa
by D3athrav3n92
Summary: The same time Harry touches the Sorcerer's stone in Hogwarts during his fight with Voldemort, Edward and Alphonse are using the Philosopher's stone to restore Al's body...
1. The Beginning

**D3ath: Well, the votes are in! I'll have to say, it was close between One Piece, Harry Potter, and something completely different, but in the end Harry Potter won, so there's an HP/FMA fic now. I've edited it as much as I can, and I have to say, it's fairly good. Oh, and I'm sorry if my Japanese isn't perfect—most of it, I'm pulling off the Internet, so if it's not grammatically correct, then just tell me and I'll fix it ^^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. I with I did, but…**

**A Novus Orsa**

_By D3athrav3n92_

Ed stood at the edge of the transmutation circle, staring at the figure that was now rising shakily to his feet. It was a young boy, almost the same age as Al, as thin as Al, but…

It wasn't Al.

There was no way that it could be. Al's hair was blonde, while the stranger's was a midnight black. The new person was pale, while Al was a healthy pink, and the eyes_, _oh kami, the _eyes_. There was no mistaking Alphonse's soft gray for the vivid green that now gazed up at him through lopsided glasses. They stared up at him, bewildered, lost, annoyed, scared, frustrated, and most of all, relief, which confused Edward the most.

In anger, the blonde marched up to the circle, and grabbed the front of the newcomer's shirt.

"Where's Al?!" he shouted, shaking the raven-haired boy furiously. Fear made its way onto the boy's face, and all traces of relief in his green eyes disappeared. He babbled something rapidly, waving around a stick-like object, but Edward was unable to understand. He hoisted the boy higher until they were almost nose-to-nose.

"What happened to Alphonse?!" he snarled.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Harry stared up at the blonde in fear as he shouted. "Al wa doko da?!"

Harry shook his head frantically, waving his wand about. "What—what happened to Voldemort?! What—" he stopped. It didn't seem like the blonde understood. He hoisted Harry up higher (he was quite strong for a fifteen-year-old), and brought Harry close, their noses almost touching. Harry green eyes met with blazing golden eyes, and he looked into them, frightened.

"Doo shimashita Alphonse ka?!" the blonde snarled.

Harry pointed his wand at the blonde. "_Petrificus Totalus!"_ he shouted in desperation, and the blonde yelped as the spell hit him in the chest. He toppled back, releasing Harry, and the raven-haired boy fell to the floor, sagging in relief. He stood and warily approached the blonde.

"I don't want to fight," he said cautiously, holding his hands up for peace. The golden eyes narrowed, and Harry sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Let's see…" he searched the room. It wide, with lots of boxes and crates stacked up. There was a large circle on the floor, and Harry was standing in the middle of it. He quickly got off, a bad feeling in his gut until he moved away from it. The walls, floor, and ceiling were concrete, giving Harry the impression that this was a basement of some sort.

"Edward-kun? Alphonse-kun?" Harry jumped at the sound of a female's voice, and he spun around, holding up his wand.

Another blonde stood on the stairs, gaping at Harry before switching her bright blue gaze to Ed. "Ed-kun?!" she yelped, and Harry watched nervously as she dashed to the male blonde on the floor. "Daijobu ka?!" When Edward (Harry assumed it was Edward) didn't move, only glared, she whirled on Harry, shouting in a rapid language. He shrank away from her.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, staring up at her with wide, frightened eyes. What he would do to have Hermione here. She'd probably know what they were saying.

The female's blue eyes softened, and she slowly approached Harry, her hands held up in a sign of peace. Harry slowly lowered his wand, still wary. She spoke and gestured to the blonde on the floor, questioning, and Harry nodded. He understood.

He waved his wand at Edward. "_Finite Incantem,"_ he murmured, and Edward's arms and legs spread apart. The blonde sat up, muttering under his breath. "Kuso…"

"Baka!!" the female yelled suddenly, and Harry jumped at the sudden increase in volume. He watched as she marched to the male blonde, who scrambled away from her, pulled a wrench out of nowhere, and promptly slammed it into the male's head. He let loose a stream of curses (or what Harry thought were curses), yelling back at the female. She gestured furiously toward Harry, and Harry stepped back as Edward turned his golden glare upon him. She yelled back, and before long, their argument had escalated into a verbal war.

Harry watched with morbid fascination as the female swung her wrench in Edward's direction. He yelped before it connected with his head, and he flew back several feet before colliding with the wall. Harry winced. That must've hurt. And judging from the wrench, they must've been muggles. Harry gulped. If that was the case, then he would probably be expelled from Hogwarts or suspended for performing magic in front of them.

The female turned, suddenly facing Harry with a smile. Harry flinched back impulsively as she drew near, and her smile faltered for a moment. She spoke and beckoned to him, her smile creeping back into place, and she shook her head and pointed at Ed, a scowl tugging at her lips as she looked upon the fallen blonde. She muttered under her breath (most likely something obscene), and she faced Harry again. She shook her head one more time, and she slowly placed a hand on Harry's wand arm. Harry jumped, but he allowed her to lower his arm until it pointed downward. She reached out with her other arm, and gently grabbed his wrist, tugging him toward the stairs.

She beamed. " Konnichiwa! Watashi wa Winry Rockbell desu." He stared at her, baffled, and her smile dimmed slightly. "Konnichiwa?" she repeated, and when he didn't respond, she turned back to Edward and barked something at him.

He replied with a groan, sitting up and muttering. A frown appeared on her face, and she studied him. "Wakarimasu ka?"

The other blonde said something to her, and comprehension dawned on her. "Ah!" She smiled. "Winry Rockbell." She shook his hand, and Harry realized she was introducing herself.

"Harry Potter," he said softly. She nodded and led him up the stairs.

"Oi, Winry!" Edward called, but she sent a scathing glance in his direction before turning away from him and dragging Harry up the stairs. Harry hid a smile. They acted a lot like Ron and Hermione did when they got in an argument. His spirits immediately sank. He hoped he'd be able to meet up with them again. He frowned. Where _was_ he, by the way?

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Winry had walked into the basement to see something completely different from what she was expecting. "Edward-kun? Alphonse-kun?" she called, only to skid to a stop at the sight of a young boy. He looked to be about nine or ten, with the oddest clothes she had ever seen: a black robe, but with an oversized t-shirt and jeans underneath it. He had messy black hair, glasses, and bright green eyes. It wasn't Alphonse. Her breath hitched for a moment, and she scanned the room.

And then she had seen Ed on the floor. Fear struck her for a moment, and in a panic, she rushed toward him, forgetting all about the black-haired boy. She shook her childhood friend roughly, called out to him, and he didn't respond; only sent scathing glares at the newcomer. It had scared her at first, seeing him completely paralyzed on the floor, but his eyes…his eyes were moving, and he was glaring…after a quick inspection, she deemed him to be okay, but not before asking what the boy had done to Ed.

As she yelled at him, she saw him flinch back, and she immediately felt guilty. He was just a young kid! What was wrong with her, yelling at him? He stammered something incomprehensible, and she felt another flash of guilt. She'd scared him so badly he couldn't speak. Slowly, she approached him, and she felt terrible as he stepped back. She swallowed, and pointed at the…stick. "Can you stop it?" she asked, gesturing to Ed, and the boy slowly nodded.

"_Finite Incantem,_" he said softly, pointing his stick at the other blonde, and Winry watched in relief as Ed's arms and legs sprang apart. Edward sat up, cursing. "Shit..."

"Idiot!" she watched grimly as Ed scrambled back from her advance, and she drew her precious wrench, swinging it and smirking slightly as it connected with his head.

Ed glared up at her. "What the hell was that for, Winry?!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. "I was trying to figure out what _he_ did—" he glanced over and gestured to the black-haired boy "—with Al and all of a sudden he attacks me!!! Why'd you go and hit me with that?!"

"He was obviously intimidated by _you__**, **_Edward! What's your problem, attacking and scaring him like that?!"

Ed turned his snapping yellow gaze upon her. "You're the one that began yelling at him, baka!! I was only lying on the floor, because he did some freaky little alchemy trick and paralyzed me!!"

"ALCHEMY OTAKU!!!"

"AUTOMAIL OTAKU!!!"

"Edward, you JERK!!" she chucked her wrench at Edward's head, and watched him fly across the room to hit the wall with a sickening splat. She smiled in satisfaction before facing the black-haired boy. He flinched back, and she stopped, mentally cursing herself for the violent display. No doubt the boy was scared of her now. She held up her hands, showing that she wasn't going to hurt him, and watched as he relaxed somewhat. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said softly, and she glanced at Ed, who was still lying against the wall. She scowled. "Not like this stupid alchemy freak here," she muttered, pointing at Ed. She slowly lowered the boy's…stick (she felt him jump), and gently grabbed his other wrist.

She began to lead him to the stairs of the basement. "Hi, my name's Winry Rockbell," she said kindly, but her smile slowly dimmed at his baffled expression. "Hello?" When he didn't respond, she turned to Ed.

"Edward!! What'd you do to him?!!"

Ed sat up with a groan. "I don't think he understood," he muttered, and Winry frowned, facing the boy again.

"Do you understand me?" she asked slowly, and she continued to frown when he didn't reply.

Ed got up. "No, I don't think he speaks our language, Winry," he said, scowling, and a look of comprehension crossed her face.

"Ah!" she smiled at Harry. "Winry Rockbell," she said slowly, shaking his hand. This he seemed to understand.

"Harry Potter," he replied softly, and Winry nodded, tugging him up the stairs. He wasn't very strong or heavy, either, much to her surprise. He seemed very light for a nine-year-old.

"Oi, Winry!" Ed called after her, irritated, and Winry glowered at him. She contemplated locking him into the basement for the night, so he could cool down his temper, but she dismissed the idea. It wouldn't have helped much.

She listened to Ed grumble as he tromped up the stairs behind her, and she led Harry into the kitchen, steering him into a chair by the table. "Ed, help me make some food for him. He's really thin," she called, and Ed stomped after her, seething.

"Dammit, Winry, we need to figure out what happened to Al!" he shouted, clenching his gloved fists as she grabbed a plate from the cupboard. "I don't want to lose—" his voice cracked, and he looked down. A lump appeared in Winry's throat, and she set the plate she was holding down onto the counter. She approached Ed, and pulled him into a hug.

He stiffened at first, before his eyes closed. His arms reached up and gripped her shirt as he buried his head into her shoulder. His heavy frame shook, and it took Winry a moment to realize he was _crying_. Her baby blue eyes widened before they began to water as well. Ed almost never cried. He didn't cry when his mother died, he didn't cry during the automail surgery, and Al never mentioned anything of him crying. Having troubles, yes, but never crying. She rubbed his back, waiting until he calmed down. The prospect of losing his younger brother, his only family, must have hit him hard. Winry quickly closed her eyes, stemming a flood of tears. Not only Ed's family. Her family, too. She was as close to the Elrics as they were to each other.

A little while later, Ed pulled away from Winry, his eyes slightly red. "I don't think he's dead," he whispered, "but I don't know where he is or how to find him…" And slowly, like an old man weary of the world, he left the room, the door clicking gently behind him.

Winry heaved a sigh, and she saw Harry glancing at them in concern, looking a little shaken by the events that had just happened. She gave him a wan smile, and finished cooking, placing a plateful of rice and curry before the scrawny boy. He nodded appreciatively to her, murmured something softly, and began to eat, keeping a wary eye on her. The blonde gave him another smile, telling him that she was okay, and left him to his own devices, heading to her workroom to tidy up before her next customer.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, though, tears began to run down her face. It had only been two months since Granny Pinako had died, Den following a few weeks later, and the idea of losing Al was just too much for her. She sank down to the floor, sobbing, and buried her head in her arms.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Harry heard the nice blonde girl crying, and he looked at the shut door, feeling guilty. Even though he didn't know what had exactly happened, he felt that it was his fault, that he had played a part in this that caused them such grief. He grimaced, and suddenly he didn't feel hungry anymore. It wasn't that he didn't like the food (it was delicious, compared to what he got at the Dursleys), but guilt had chased all ideas of eating away from him.

Nervously, hesitantly, he approached the closed door, eyebrows creased upward in worry. Slowly, he raised his hand, and knocked. "Um…Winry?" he called softly, and there was a moment of silence before the door creaked open. There stood the girl, tears running down her face. The guilt intensified, and he hung his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Hands touched his shoulders, and he jumped. He saw the girl give him a sad smile before pulling him into a hug. He heard her sniff several times before she let go, and she shook her head, as if telling him that it wasn't his fault.

The guilty feeling still didn't go away, however. And briefly, as she led him to a small room, he wondered how he was ever going to get back to Hogwarts.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Alphonse opened his eyes, fully expecting to see his older brother standing above him. Instead of gold eyes, however, red eyes stared down at him…

…From the back of another man's head.

Al let out a shout of alarm, and leapt to his feet. He teetered and swayed, weak, and he looked down at himself, gulping at the sight.

He had no clothes, first of all, and he was severely malnourished. He could see his ribs clearly, his stomach had sunken in, and he was abnormally thin. His skin was pale, wan, and sickly, and his legs shook with the exertion of standing up. It was just like Ed had predicted: from not having a body for nearly five years, it would have degenerated somewhat, but still alive, thanks to its connection with his older brother. But it had _worked_. He had his body_ back_. Tears began to gather at his eyes.

The man (or was it two, since there were two faces on one head?) spoke, his red eyes narrowing, and Al froze, tears disappearing. From the tone of his voice, he seemed furious with something, and Al swallowed nervously. His legs gave out, and he fell over with a cry, landing on a stone floor with a thump, pain racing through his body. The man with red eyes hissed again, and turned around, to reveal a man that looked positively terrified. He seemed to be the true owner of the body, considering how his face was in the right spot, and he raised a stick, pointing it at Alphonse.

"Chotto Matte yo—" Al cried weakly, but the man paid him no heed.

"_Cruci_—"

Doors at the end of the room burst open, and a red light shot out, striking the two-faced man in the chest. Alphonse struggled to sit up, cursing his extremely weak state of body, and watched as the oldest man he'd ever seen run in, followed by an elderly woman.

The old man pointed his stick at two-face, shouting something foreign, and ropes flew out, binding the man. Alphonse gaped in awe. He just completely ignored the laws of equivalent exchange, with just a stick! And judging from his appearance, he seemed to be a wizard of some sort, from the half-moon glasses to the blue robes and pointed hat, to the long, sweeping silver beard.

The elderly woman ran up to him, speaking again, and Alphonse just stared at her in confusion. He swallowed. "Excuse me?" he asked, and the woman stared down at him. She took out a stick also, waved it, and all of a sudden, a cloak settled about Al's shoulders. Al's eyes widened, and he jumped as the cloak covered his thin body. The woman looked upon him, pitying him, before turning to watch the older man. Al turned also, extremely interested and curious as well.

The two-faced man struggled against the ropes, and the old man waved his stick, shouting something equally foreign as the first few words. The two-faced man shuddered, and grew limp. A black cloud escaped from his lips, nose, eyes, and ears, and took on the form of a face. Al started; it was the same as the one on the back of the man's head. It shrieked, and swept towards the old man. However, the old man waved his stick once more, and the spirit vanished.

"Albus," the woman said softly, and the man, whom Al assumed was Albus, turned towards Al, serious blue eyes meeting stunned gray. He strode up to Al, and knelt down before the shaking teen. He spoke, but Al shook his head.

"I don't understand…" he said apologetically. "Gomenasai," he added as an afterthought, just to be polite.

The old man chuckled, a twinkle entering into his blue eyes. "It's fine," he said, and Al's jaw dropped open. "You have no need to apologize about something you don't know." He studied Al, and turned to the woman beside him, speaking swiftly and urgently to her. She nodded, and swept out of the room, green robes billowing out from behind her. Albus turned back to Alphonse.

"What is your name, young one? Where do you come from? And where is Harry?" he asked, and Al nodded politely.

"Alphonse Elric," he said softly, "I'm from Resembool, and I'm sorry, but I don't know a Harry."

Albus smiled lightly. "It's fine," he said, and he extended a hand. "Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry."

Al shook his hand, marveling at the feeling he had been missing for the past five years, before something the man said caught up to him. "Wait—Witchcraft? Wizardry?"

The man smile dimmed just a little. "Are you a muggle?" he asked, and Al looked up at him in confusion.

"Muggle? I'm an alchemist," he said, and Dumbledore's eyes brightened.

"Ah, just like my friend, Nicholas Flamel," he said, and he smiled. "I take it you're from the country of Amestris?"

Al nodded, and Dumbledore stood, towering over the small figure of Al. This was the first time anyone towered over him in five years, and Al relished it. Usually it was quite the opposite, him standing over everyone else. The weakness of his body, the rise and fall of his chest, the moisture in his mouth, the cold stone underneath him, the feeling of being _alive_…he inhaled deeply, tears gathering in his eyes again.

Alarmed, Dumbledore stooped back down to Al. "Daijobu ka, Elric-san?" he asked, and Al sniffed, beaming up at him.

"I'm alive," he said, looking at his hands in amazement. "I've gotten my body back, I'm breathing, I'm living, I feel pain—" he took a deep shuddering gasp, loving the sensation, crying even more. He touched the tears running down his face. "I haven't been able to cry in years," he whispered.

Dumbledore smiled and helped him stand. He didn't understand what the young blonde was talking about, but once Alphonse had recovered, maybe he'd be able to tell what happened to Harry.

As Madam Pomfrey ran into the room, with McGonagall behind right behind her, Albus decided that things would have to wait. Yes, for Mr. Elric had collapsed.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

**D3ath: so, how'd ya like it? Was it good enough? I decided to mix things up a little, because it's always **_**Ed**_** that goes to Hogwarts, trying to find a way back, but this time I made it so that Al took his place. And of course, connections with the Sorcerer's stone and the Philosopher's stone, and tadaa! A FMA/HP fic :D **

**Oh, the title means "A New Beginning" in Latin. I thought it deemed appropriate, since Harry's at the beginning of his 7-year adventure, and Ed, Al, and Co. are starting on a new one. Hence the title. And I based this mostly off the FMA manga (it fit better), not the anime. So if you all are confused, I suggest going to read the manga, because it's so much better than season 1 of the anime. **

**Doku desu Al ka?!- Where is Al?!**

**Doo shimashita Alphonse ka?!- What happened to Al?!**

**Daijobu ka?!- Are you alright?!**

**Kuso- shit**

**Baka!- Idiot!**

**Konnichiwa!- Hello!  
**

**Watashi wa...-My name is...**

**Wakarimasu ka?- Do you understand me?**

**Gomenasai- polite version of sorry**

**Chotto Mateyo-Wait a minute**

**Well, I think those are all of the terms there...yeah. Well, have fun, and leave a review :D  
**


	2. Misunderstandings

**D3ath: I was so happy with all of the reviews that you guys sent me! I didn't think that I would get so many reviews, just for the first chapter!**

**Reviewers: Lolmaster27, mayanpaw, Ryutana, PedroCullenBloomTM, , ShiroAndFubuki, EdwardCullenIsCoolerThanYou, Schizophasia, Lunar Hikari, LuckyNumbers, 2-10-11eyesFINGERStoes, Pajaro Negro, lirica, Shadow65, Lilyice, and Vi-Violence. **

**D3ath: I'd also like to thank all of those that helped me with my Japanese (most specifically **_**Pajaro Negro**_**), because I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SPEAK JAPANESE. Despite all who think I may, the most I know are some insults, thanks, bye, hello, and etc. I hardly know Spanish after taking 5 years of it in school (pretty sad, I know…). **

**Disclaimer: My dad's attempting to hit a fly with a fly swatter, and hit me in the process. He then thought it would be funny to keep hitting me, stating that I was "an overlarge fly and as annoying as one". I was not amused.  
**

**Warning: there will be some spoilers for the recent chapters of the manga. If you do not wish to be spoiled, I would recommend skipping past the Edward's phone call scene.**

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

**Chapter 2: Misunderstandings**

Harry opened his eyes blearily as morning sun shone through the windows. He squinted, trying to distinguish his surroundings before rolling over on his bed and groping for his glasses. Finally, his fingers snagged the familiar object, and he frowned as he studied the lens. Fingerprints covered the lens of the glasses, and he scowled as he wiped them off before jamming them unceremoniously onto his face. He sat up, yawning. "Oi, Ron, get up, we need to…" he trailed off, his eyes widening at the sight of the room around him. It was bare, with only a small desk, a bedside table, a small bureau, and the bed he was lying on. The walls were white, giving the whole room a faded look. The floor was wooden, and with a start, Harry remembered what happened the previous night. He groaned and flopped back into bed, staring up at the ceiling (was that a cobweb in the corner?). Finally, he sat back up, slid out of bed, and pulled on his school robes, fingering the wand in his pocket.

Silently, he crept out of the room. The previous night had left him a little dazed, and everything had gone by so quickly. First he was in a room with a guy yelling at him (his face was almost as red as Uncle Vernon's), then the next thing he knew, he was crawling into the bed Winry had offered him. He yawned, rubbing at his green eyes. He was still somewhat exhausted. He _was_ fighting Voldemort before he came here, so it made sense to be a little tired.

He silently approached the kitchen and peered in cautiously. The girl from the night before was there, stumbling around the kitchen. Her long blonde hair was disheveled, and she wore a baggy t-shirt and shorts. Her eyes looked half-closed too, and she yawned hugely as she heated a pot of hot water. He watched as she accidentally kicked a stool, and he heard her mumble out a curse, kicking the stool out of the way.

He stepped into the kitchen nervously, unsure of what to do. He saw her straighten and turn to him, staring at him in almost utter confusion for a minute before recognition crossed her face.

"Ah, Harry-kun!" she exclaimed sleepily, leaning against the counter and rubbing at her eyes. Seemed like Harry wasn't the only one having morning problems. "Ohayo," she said cheerfully, a smile appearing on her face. Harry nodded, confused. _'Ohio?_' he thought distantly, before she seemed to realize her error. She chuckled to herself and said something quickly, too fast for Harry to pick up, and led him to the table (1). She sat him down into a chair, and bustled around the kitchen, making the black-haired boy something to eat. She kept up a steady stream of conversation, despite the fact that Harry couldn't understand, and soon a delicious aroma rose up around the kitchen.

Harry studied his surroundings. Now that he was actually awake and not hopelessly confused or lost, he noticed that everything around him seemed…old. It looked like it had come out of a history textbook that he had gotten in muggle school. Everything was old-fashioned, from the couch peeking from the next room over, to the stove that Winry was now cooking on. A horrible feeling suddenly crawled into his gut. '_Did I end up in the wrong time period?_' he thought, panicking a little. Was time travel even possible in the magical world? Granted, he hadn't been involved with magic for two long (only for a year, compared to Ron's eleven), and he wasn't sure if wizards were capable of time travel (2).

A clatter at the doorway caught his attention, and he turned to find Edward wandering into the kitchen, more asleep than awake. Harry smiled to himself slightly. He was just like Ron, needing breakfast before properly waking up. However, due to the events from the night before, Harry still shied away from the blonde's approach, keeping a way eye on him. The blonde could be dangerous, from what he had seen (Winry too, with that wrench of hers), and he fingered the wand in his pocket, ready to pull it out and hex him in case Edward were to turn on him.

He watched Edward sniff the air, and his golden eyes opened somewhat, recognizing the smell. He seemed to wake up from the smell alone, and he turned to call something to Winry. She replied grumpily, and a small scowl flitted across his face before he turned to study Harry.

Harry instinctively tensed, and he knew that Edward saw that, if the raised eyebrow was any indication. He examined Harry for a moment, before meeting Harry's green eyes and sticking out his left hand.

Harry stared at the hand, baffled for a moment. He looked back up at Edward, and Edward nodded gravely, still holding out his hand. That's when it clicked. He wanted to shake Harry's hand, resolve things like men before going on with their lives. Harry nodded in return, and shook his hand, briefly wondering why he was using his _left_ hand to shake, when his right arm was just as good. '_Maybe he's left-handed,_' Harry thought before pulling back.

Winry approached the two and put two plates before the males, smiling. Her blue eyes glimmered in amusement for a moment, before she turned to Edward and spoke, holding out a glass of milk.

Edward cringed and looked at the glass, as if expecting it to jump out at him at any moment. Winry's face darkened, and she glowered, holding the glass in front of Edward's face. Edward childishly turned his face away, crossing his arms over his chest and looking anywhere but at the small glass. Harry sniggered, catching onto Edward's obvious dislike. For a moment, the golden eyes snapped towards him, and the raven-haired boy froze, before Edward scowled and faced Winry, stubbornly refusing to glance at the white liquid. Winry spoke, practically shoving the glass into his face, and he shoved it away, openly glaring at her.

"Iie," he growled, and Winry's anger grew.

"Edward," she said, her voice dangerously soft, and Edward twitched, muttering.

Winry began to shout, and Harry leaned back as Edward joined in, both pointing at the glass of milk. From what was going on, Harry had to guess that Winry was trying to make him drink, and that Edward was adamantly refusing. Harry sniggered. It was a little like Ron and Hermione's arguments.

Immediately, both teens froze and stared blankly at Harry, who also froze up in response. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Winry giggled as well, causing Edward to snicker in response. Winry turned back to Edward, chuckling, and he laughed in response, his mouth open wide.

Suddenly, she leapt on him, and dumped the milk into his mouth as he laughed. Instantly, he coughed and spluttered, but she forced his mouth shut. Harry watched in shockas Edward flailed about, before bursting out into laughter, grabbing his side as the male blonde struggled. His face was turning red again, and he seemed to refusing to swallow. That was when Winry resorted to drastic measures.

She held his nose.

Soon, his face wasn't as red anymore, but turning a healthy blue color. Harry clutched his gut, wheezing as he watched Edward fight a losing battle. Winry grinned evilly, and watched with satisfaction as Edward swallowed.

He inhaled as she let go of his nose, and as soon as he got his breath back, he turned on Winry, screaming at her. In response, she collapsed on the ground, laughing as tears poured out of her eyes. Edward scowled, but grudgingly turned to his food, shoveling food into his mouth, as if he was trying to get rid of the taste.

Finally, Winry wiped her eyes, and placed a glass of milk in front of Harry, turning back to the kitchen to fix herself a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. Harry's laughter died down, but he struggled to keep a straight face as he offered Edward his glass of milk as a silent invitation. As he did so, Edward glared at him, growling obscenities. That sent Harry into another howl of laughter, and he hunched over, laughing helplessly. It seemed as if his stay here wouldn't be too bad, as long as he found a way home.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Edward had awoken that morning to the smell of eggs and bacon.

Not one to miss a meal, he pulled himself out of bed, threw on his clothes, and stumbled down to the kitchen, not even noticing the little black-haired guest that they had acquired late last night. He sniffed appreciatively, waking up a little more. He always liked the smell of food in the mornings. It was a great way to start a day. "Oi, Winry, are you almost done?" he called, and she glared at him groggily, in the middle of fixing not two, but _three_ plates of eggs, bacon, and toast.

"Just wait a minute, Ed. Geez, you're so demanding," she half-grumbled to herself, and he suddenly remembered the boy that had appeared in Al's place the night before. He turned toward Harry, and watched as the boy tensed up. He raised his eyebrow. The kid was scared of him…? He met the boy's nervous green eyes, and nodded, holding out his left hand. He didn't like it when people discovered his automail, and he figured that this scrawny kid didn't really need to know.

Harry's eyes met his gold ones now, baffled, and Ed nodded gravely. The boy seemed to realize what he was doing, and he nodded in response, clasping his left hand to Edward's. Edward saw the brief flash of confusion at the use of his left hand, but shrugged it off. Harry probably wouldn't really suspect much.

Winry approached them with a smile, placing two plates before them. Ed was instantly captivated by the smell, and he inhaled deeply, about to tuck in…before Winry held a glass of milk in front of him.

"Ed-kun, you need to drink it," she warned, and Ed recoiled in horror. Anything but _that_. Winry also seemed to notice his reluctance, because she shoved the glass right up to his face. God, the woman wouldn't leave him alone about his milk! She knew he hated that stuff! He looked away, folding his arms in the process. He heard a snigger to his left, and his eyes immediately snapped toward Harry, who was trying to hide his amusement and failing. However, after a glare from the alchemist, he shut up pretty quickly. Ed looked away from both Harry and the offensive glass, refusing to make eye contact with the liquid secreted from a cow.

"Ed, drink it," Winry commanded, and Ed glared at her.

"No," he said stubbornly.

"Edward," she said, her voice dangerously soft. He twitched.

"I hate that stuff, it's disgusting," he muttered.

"DRINK IT RIGHT NOW, EDWARD ELRIC!!" Winry shouted, pointing at the milk and holding it in his face.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I DRINK A LIQUID SECRETED FROM A COW?!! THAT STUFF'S DISGUSTING!!" he yelled back, jabbing his finger in the general area where it was located. He still refused to look at it.

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU FIND IT DISGUSTING OR NOT!! YOU NEED TO DRINK IT!!! MAYBE THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SUCH A MIDGET!!"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MIDGET SO SMALL THAT HE COULD JUMP THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE?!!!"

"YOU ARE, BECAUSE YOU WON'T DRINK YOUR DAMN MILK!!! JUST BECAUSE YOU FIND IT GROSS DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT GOOD FOR Y—" They both paused at the sound of a giggle. They both stared blankly at Harry, who froze at the sudden attention they were both giving him.

Winry giggled, and Ed felt a smile creeping onto his face as he snickered as well. The arguments that he and Winry had must've looked pretty funny, considering how it usually consisted of them just shouting at each other. Soon, they were both laughing, and Edward failed to see the evil glint appear in Winry's blue eyes.

She suddenly leaped on him and dumped the milk into his open mouth. His eyes bugged out, and he attempted to spit it out, but Winry slammed his jaw shut, preventing him from spewing the putrid liquid out. After a moment, she pinched his nose shut, and his eyes widened.

'She wouldn't…'

He flailed about (he refused to hit a girl, especially Winry), and he realized that after a moment, he would have to swallow in order to get some air. His lungs were rapidly being depleted of air, and he struggled, debating if losing his life was worth not drinking the milk. Distantly, he heard Harry laughing, but his mind instantly pushed that thought away; he needed to concentrate on the task at hand.

Finally, he was forced to comply with Winry's wishes, and he swallowed. He gasped for air, and Winry grinned, letting go of his jaw and nose. He spun towards her angrily.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, WINRY?!!" he screamed, "I COULD'VE DIED, DAMMIT!!! JUST FOR DRINKING THE STUPID GLASS OF MILK—" he stopped at the sight of her on the ground, laughing hysterically, and Harry wheezing from a lack of air. Ed scowled at the both of them before eating, grimacing slightly as the taste of milk disappeared with the flavor of the eggs, bacon, and toast.

Finally, they both stopped laughing, and Winry placed a glass of the horrid liquid in front of Harry before returning to the kitchen to get a plate for herself. Harry slowly stopped laughing, and faced Ed, struggling to hide a grin as he offered Ed his own glass of milk.

Ed glared at him. "Do it, and I swear I'll kill you," he growled. "Don't even joke about that kind of shit."

This sent Harry into another round of laughter, and Ed watched as the black-haired boy nearly dropped his own glass of milk. He scowled and finished his food, but not with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The boy didn't seem too bad, but it was hard to communicate with him. Either Ed would have to learn his language, or Harry would just have to learn his. He figured it'd be easier for Harry to learn Amestrian, considering how he was in Amestris now, instead of wherever he was before.

Ed frowned, taking his plate into the kitchen. Where was he from, anyways? He'd never heard anything remotely similar to Harry's language before, so it made Edward wonder if he was even from his _world_. That freaky alchemy trick he did the night before was certainly a new technique; he wasn't even sure if it applied to the law of equivalent exchange.

Winry looked up as he headed toward the sink. "What's wrong?" she asked, seeing his frown, and he shook his head.

"Just thinking about the new kid," he said, dumping his plate, utensils, and cup into the sink.

Winry frowned at him. "His name's Harry," she said defensively, and he nodded, brushing her off.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said, turning around and heading into the living room, where the phone was.

"Where are you going?" Winry asked, eyeing him as she picked up her plate.

"I need to give a call to General bastard," Ed said, scowling. Winry quickly set her plate down on the table and followed him, leaving behind a confused Harry.

"What for?" she demanded as he began to dial the number. "You can't be reporting Harry! I thought you were going to resign!"

"I am reporting him," he said calmly, ignoring her rising anger. "I need to get Al back, and the General might have an idea." He twitched at the thought of getting help from the recently promoted General Mustang. "So I can't resign, not until we get Al back."

"Why?!" Winry yelled, her hands fisting. "He hasn't done anything wrong! You can't turn him into the military!"

"I'm not turning him into the military!" Ed snapped in response, finished dialing the number. "That's the reason why I'm calling the General! He'd at least give us a chance to explain what's going on, before taking any immediate action!" '_Huh, for once, the General proves useful,'_ he thought dryly as a voice spoke through the line.

"_Hello, Central military headquarters."_

"This is Colonel Edward Elric, I need to speak to General Mustang. Is he in?" (3)

"Ah, C-colonel Elric! Just one m-moment!" Edward sighed in exasperation as the secretary bustled about, frantic. After the fight with the Homunculi and half of Central's military force, he had gained a sort of reputation for taking down the corrupt government, as well as Mustang, the Armstrong siblings, Mustang's men, the Briggs soldiers, and to his surprise, his sensei, Izumi Curtis (needless to say, she wasn't too happy when they offered her a position in the military). The country's government was still unstable, but Mustang and several other generals had been working on rebuilding the military and government. Thanks to this, though, he and his brother had become living legends among the people.

"_S-sorry about that, Colonel s-sir,"_ the secretary said, and he could've sworn he heard a giggle. He looked at Winry, feeling slightly sick, and he saw that she had returned to the table to eat breakfast with Harry. He turned back to the phone as the secretary spoke. _"Since y-you are speaking on an outside l-line, can you give me the code?"_ Edward scowled.

"Ankle-sugar-oliver-eight-zero-zero," Ed said tonelessly, vaguely irritated, and not knowing that it was one of Hughes's final words (4).

"_T-that seems to be in order. Please wait for a m-minute, Colonel sir,"_ she said, and Ed nodded. Sheesh, the secretary was as nervous as Schiezka sometimes. He tapped his foot impatiently, listening to Harry and Winry cleaning up. Winry was talking to Harry, despite knowing that he wouldn't be able to understand her, but he didn't seem to mind.

"_What is it, Fullmetal?"_ Ed's scowl immediately reappeared at the sound of his superior's voice. He took a deep breath, dreading what he was about to say next, and…

"I need your help," he said, crinkling his nose with distaste and already cursing himself for uttering such a line.

There was a stunned moment of silence before Mustang spoke again.

"_Well, this is a first, shorty. Has your brain grown since the last time I saw you?" _At that moment, all he saw was red.

"SHUT _UP_, GENERAL BASTARD!!!" Ed roared, slamming his fist down onto the small table holding the phone. "CAN'T YOU SHUT UP ABOUT MY HEIGHT FOR ONE MINUTE?! THIS IS SERIOUS!!" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry give him a frightened glance, but ignored it, concentrating more on the heavy silence coming through the phone.

"_Explain yourself now, Fullmetal,"_ Mustang commanded, for once actually sounding quite serious.

And Edward spoke.

He explained the situation in a clipped, precise fashion, describing the transmutation and how Al had disappeared, only to have Harry take his place. He also talked about how Harry was unable to communicate to them, speaking in a different language, and how they needed to get Alphonse back as soon as possible.

And to Ed's immense surprise, Mustang stayed quiet through the whole explanation, not even throwing one or two cracks about Ed's height. Finally, after Edward finished, he spoke.

"_Come to my office as soon as possible,"_ he said, dead serious. Ed felt a rush of gratitude, which he immediately squashed. _"We'll see what we can do."_ And with that, he hung up. Ed cursed and slammed the phone back onto the rack.

"Is everything alright?" he turned to see Winry and Harry standing in the doorway. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a headache forming. He always got one after talking with the bastard.

"Yeah. I hate talking to that guy," he muttered, and Winry gave him a small smile.

"He can't be that bad," she said, and Edward frowned.

"For once, he wasn't," the alchemist admitted. "He actually listened and took things seriously. Anyways, he wants me to bring Harry to Central as soon as I can." He saw the frown on Winry's face. "I have to follow orders," he said, "and don't you want to get Al back?"

Winry sighed. "Yeah, I do, but Harry-kun…" she trailed off, glancing at the boy beside her. Edward glanced at him as well. His arms were full of laundry, and Edward felt a smirk creeping onto his face.

"You've persuaded him to help you do laundry?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, and Harry blinked, confused.

Winry grinned sheepishly. "Well, he was really good at washing the dishes, so I thought that he would be able to help me with laundry as well," she explained, her own arms laden with clothes.

Edward scoffed and took the laundry from Harry. "You can't have him doing women's work, he's a _man!_" he said, dumping the laundry onto Winry. "I'm going to have him do something else."

"Edward!!' Winry shouted, growing angry. However, Ed ignored her and dragged Harry outside. Out in the yard, he shrugged off his coat, wearing only his black jacket, black leather pants, black wife beater, combat boots, and gloves. He helped Harry remove his robe, punch properly (the kid flinched every time he swung as an example, which made him a little worried and suspect that the kid had been bullied), but other than that, he seemed to be picking up quickly.

Finally, after going though all of the basic blocks and strikes, he took up an offensive position across from Harry, grinning evilly. Needless to say, Harry looked a little frightened, especially when Ed rushed forward, preparing for a solid right hook.

Harry gulped and ducked, just as the Fullmetal alchemist swung.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Alphonse slowly opened his eyes, staring at the white ceiling above him. He lay there for a bit, marveling at the feeling of the bed underneath him, and his lungs rising up and down in a steady tempo. He inhaled deeply, relishing the movement, before sitting up. He winced at the exertion placed on his arms, and he held his hands up in front of his face, examining them carefully. They were smaller than his armor ones, but smoother, more delicate, and most importantly, _human_.

He heard a small chuckle to his left, and turned to see Professor Dumbledore walking into the room. He noticed that he was in a hospital room of some sort, and he looked around in interest before turning his attention to the headmaster. He watched as the old man took a seat beside him, and smiled, bobbing his head in greeting.

"Konnichiwa, Dumbledore-sensei," he said softly, and Dumbledore smiled back in return.

"It's good to see you looking much healthier than before, my boy," he replied kindly, his blue eyes twinkling. "You were in bad shape when we brought you into the hospital wing." He chuckled again. "I'll have to say, I've never seen Poppy looking so frantic in all of my years of teaching."

Al frowned. "Poppy, sensei?" he asked, and Dumbledore smiled.

"Our school nurse," he explained, and Al nodded in understanding. "She immediately gave you several nutrition potions and a dreamless sleep potion, so that your body would be able to recover faster." Alphonse jumped at that statement. He hadn't expected on being in a drugged sleep.

"How long was I out, sensei?" he asked, worried, and Dumbledore beamed.

"About a week, Elric-san," he said, and Al's eyes widened.

"A week?" he yelped, surprised. "But—Niisan—I—"

"Ah, now we get to the root of the problem," Dumbledore said, touching the tips of his fingers together. "I'm terribly sorry, Elric-san, but as of now, I have no way to return you to your home. You see, Amestris is in another world, and it would take extensive research on my part as to bring you back home." A chill ran down Al's spine. Dumbledore continued on, seeing the look on Al's face. "Don't worry, Elric-san, remember that I said '_as of now'_. I'll get you home sooner or later. It might take a while, but you'll be able to recover, and maybe even learn a thing or two about magic." He nodded at Al's expression of relief. "I would also ask you another question." He studied Al carefully. "How did you come to be here, in your state of being?"

Al fidgeted slightly before speaking up. "I—I lost my body in an accident, and my older brother used alchemy to attach my soul to a suit of armor. Because of that, my body degenerated over the years as we tried to find a way to get my body back. Then, we finally found one, and he was in the middle of returning me to my body when I woke up here…with that man with two faces." Al shuddered for a moment. "Was he a chimera? It didn't seem like that to me at first, but now that I think about it—"

"He was not," Dumbledore said calmly, holding up a hand to slow Alphonse down. "The man you saw in the back of Quirrel's head was a soul of Voldemort, who was the wizarding world's strongest dark wizard."

Here, Dumbledore explained to Alphonse the history of Voldemort's reign of terror, and Al listened attentively, nodding here and there. Finally, Dumbledore finished, and Al thought for a moment.

"…So the Harry-san that you were talking about last week is the only one that's able to stop Voldemort-san?" Al asked, and Dumbledore chuckled at Al's formality; apparently the boy was so polite, he'd address dark wizards with the same air of formality that he used for everyone else.

"Yes, he seems to have disappeared," Dumbledore said lightly. Alphonse's brow furrowed, and he sat back, thinking.

"So, since I have taken his place…" Al began slowly, and Dumbledore nodded.

"It only stands to reason to assume that he has taken yours," the headmaster said cheerfully. He held out a hand, offering the boy a small wrapped candy. "Lemon drop?"

Al's eyes lit up, and he smiled eagerly. "Yes!" he said happily, and Dumbledore chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "I haven't had anything to eat in nearly six years," he explained, sucking happily on the sweet. "Because my body was a suit of armor during that time, I couldn't eat, sleep, feel, smell, cry, or anything."

At that moment, a woman peered around the hangings around Al's bed. She spoke to the headmaster, and gave Al a warm smile. Dumbledore turned back to Al, his eyes glimmering in amusement.

"Elric-san, this is Madam Poppy Pomfrey, our school nurse. She wants to give you a few nutrition potions, as well as a strengthening potion. Is that all right with you? After that, we can call up some dinner for you," Dumbledore said kindly, and Al nodded and smiled at the nurse.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Pomfrey-san," he said softly, and Pomfrey smiled back in return after Dumbledore translated, approaching Al with a small tray. Obediently, Al drank the potions that she gave to him, and he winced at the taste. Madam Pomfrey smiled and patted his head when he was done, and she spoke to Dumbledore. He turned back to Alphonse with a smile.

"She said that if you drink all of the potions she gives you, you should be out in a few days, Elric-san," he said brightly, and Al nodded. "By that time, we should be having our end-of-the-school-year feast, so you are welcome to attend if you see fit."

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Dumbledore-san," Al said gratefully, and Dumbledore stood. "Ano, Dumbledore-san," Al began hesitantly, and when the elderly man gestured for him to go on, Al cleared his throat. "Is it possible to begin looking through some books about magic, since I might be here for a while?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "That can be arranged, Elric-san, and I can send Filius Flitwick along to give you a translation charm, if you would like," he offered.

Al looked up, his eyes glimmering in excitement. "Ah, hai!" He was eager to see how their 'magic' worked.

Dumbledore left with another smile, and a few minutes later, a tiny old man trotted into the room. Alphonse nearly choked; Edward would be delighted to meet this little man, only for the fact that he was several inches smaller than the hotheaded blonde.

The man approached him, smiling, and pulled out his 'stick'. He waved it at Alphonse, muttering for a few moments, then spoke. "Can you understand me?" he asked, and Alphonse gaped in surprise. The little old man frowned. "Hmm, I don't think it quite worked—" he began, pointing his wand at Alphonse again.

"Oh—no, no, it worked, thank you very much," Al said hurriedly, before the man could perform another spell. "I'm sorry; I was just a little surprised," he explained, and the man beamed.

"Ah, there we go! I was about to say, usually my charms work perfectly, and I was a little surprised to see it not work on the first go!" he exclaimed cheerfully, and he stuck his hand out to Alphonse. "My name is Filius Flitwick, the Charms teacher at Hogwarts." Alphonse shook his hand. "Alphonse Elric, it's nice to meet you Professor," he said politely.

Flitwick took a seat beside Al's bed. "Now, I heard from Albus that you are to be staying here until you find a way home during the summer, is that correct?" he asked. At Al's nod, he beamed. "Excellent! Well then, Mr. Elric, if that is the case, then feel free to ask for any help on charms! I will also give you lessons if you need it," he said, and he stood. "I shall leave you to recover then," he said, giving a small bow. "It was my pleasure meeting you, Mr. Elric."

Al gave a small bow in response. "The pleasure's all mine, sir," he replied, and he watched the small man leave. He leaned back onto his pillows with a sigh. This was all very confusing, the idea of magic. However, he was willing to learn it and try it, after the display of the translating charm that Professor Flitwick had performed on him. He frowned. How was Ed doing right now? He hoped that his older brother wasn't taking his disappearance too hard, and if Harry _did _manage to switch places with him, he could only hope that Ed was taking care of him (meaning that he didn't beat Harry into a pulp). He heaved a sigh. He could only hope…

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

The next day, Al had managed to convince Madam Pomfrey to get him a small journal, so that he might be able to record what was going on, and to use it to write letters to his brother, to give to him when he got home.

_Dear Niisan,_ (it read)

_This place is very weird. I arrived here last week with my body back, and an evil man by the name of Lord Voldemort was looking down at me from the back of somebody else's head! I thought he was a chimera at first, until the headmaster of the school I arrived at, Albus Dumbledore, explained things to me a week later (I fell unconscious almost after I arrived here, and didn't wake up until a week later). They use magic here, Niisan! There's no equivalent exchange, there's no laws, it's real magic, just like the stories that we used to listen to when we were younger, before mom died. You wouldn't believe this place, Niisan. They have talking and moving pictures, potions, spells, wands, even some elves (they delivered me my meals, but they didn't look as good as the ones we read in the stories. They're little with big ears and eyes, dark skin, and they _like_ serving people. I'm sure General Mustang would like them). _

_Everyone here has been very kind to me so far, so I hope that Harry (who we think took my place, since I took his) is receiving the same treatment from you (you better be kind to him, Niisan). _

_Professor Dumbledore has offered to let me stay and study their magic while he looks for a way home for me, so I'm going to stay here until I return home. I think that it would be good to learn something new while I'm here, so once I get better, a professor by the name of Minerva McGonagall is going to take me to get a wand, supplies, and some new clothes (I arrived here with nothing on, Niisan, how embarrassing…)._

_I hope you're doing fine, Niisan._

_Love Al._

"Excuse me…" Al looked up to see a small, bushy-haired brunette and a thin, gangly redhead beside her. He cocked his head, studying them. They looked like first years, from what Madam Pomfrey had told him, and both of them seemed very concerned.

"Yes?" he asked, and the brown-haired witch fidgeted nervously.

"Um, we were Harry Potter's friends…oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, as if remembering something. "Sorry, my name's Hermione Granger, and this is Ronald Weasley, and sorry for interrupting, but we would like to know what happened to our friend because he disappeared when you came and—"

"Easy, Hermione!" the redhead said, cutting her off. Al agreed with him; Hermione had been talking so rapidly, he was beginning to wonder if she ever breathed while she spoke. "Sorry about her mate, she tends to do that sometimes," Ronald said, jerking his head at Hermione. She glared at him, and he turned to face Alphonse. "We just wanted to know what happened to our friend."

Alphonse smiled. "It's fine," he said, "to be honest, I don't exactly know what happened to me, but Professor Dumbledore and I think that we managed to somehow switch places."

Hermione frowned at him. "Switch places? If that's the case, then where did he go, and how did he get there?"

Al shook his head. "Well, my older brother and I were using alchemy when I woke up here, so I think that your friend Harry might've appeared in where Niisan and I were staying." He picked his words carefully. He didn't want them to know that he and his brother had performed the ultimate taboo and broken several laws to get his body back.

"Alchemy? As in turning lead into gold, the Sorcerer's stone, Nicholas Flamel? That kind of alchemy?" Hermione's gaze sharpened. "Is it nice where you lived? Is he going to get starved like you were?" she demanded, and Ronald put a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, Hermione," he said, but Al could still hear a trace of worry in the eleven-year-old's tone.

"Well, to turn lead into gold, you need some other elements, not just lead," Al said slowly. "And yes, Nicholas Flamel and the Sorcerer's stone is involved with alchemy, but the Sorcerer's stone is usually called the Philosopher's stone, and could amplify the strength of an alchemy transmutation. Niisan and I were actually using it when Harry and I switched places."

Ronald looked a little dazed at the amount of information thrown at him, but Hermione took it all in stride, nodding.

"So is Harry going to be alright, then?" she asked, and Al smiled.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure Niisan wouldn't do anything," he said. _'Well, nothing too harmful. Niisan wouldn't kill him,'_ he thought. "Besides, even if he were to get a little, um, violent, I'm sure our friend Winry would make sure that he wouldn't get hurt. We were actually staying at her house when I came here, and she is really good when it comes to controlling Niisan." Al chuckled. "And if you were worried about him starving, then don't worry about him. Winry makes really good food." _'From what I've heard from Niisan, anyways…'_

Hermione gave a relieved sigh. "Thank you, and we're sorry about this," she said, and Ronald nodded.

Al smiled in response. "It's no problem. I'm sure Harry's in the exact same situation as me. If he's with Winry and Niisan, then I'm not too worried."

Ronald smiled. "Well, thanks mate. Do you know if he's coming back?" he asked, and Al frowned.

"Well, Professor Dumbledore said he's working on it, so he not be back for a while," he said, and he saw their hopeful expressions fall. "Ah, I'm sorry, Hermione, Ronald! I'm disappointed too, but I'm sure that he'll be back before you know it!" he said, desperately trying to cheer up the younger kids.

"It's Ron," mumbled the redhead, and Alphonse apologized again.

They both left, promising that they'll be back the next day, and Al slumped back into his pillows as Madam Pomfrey approached him with her tray of potions. She set it down on Al's bedside table. "They're a handful, aren't they?" she asked, and Al heaved a sigh, smiling slightly.

"A little," he admitted, "but they seem to be good friends with Harry."

Madam Pomfrey chuckled. "They're already becoming known throughout the school as 'The Golden Trio'," she informed him. "They're very loyal to each other."

Al let out a small laugh. "Yes, it's just like Niisan and I. We always did things together."

Madam Pomfrey held out the potions. "Well, here you go, Mr. Elric," she said, and Al grimaced. Having a body again had its downsides…

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

**D3ath: sorry about the lame ending, guys…well, I made it longer this time, and I'm surprised at how long it took to write this. Twenty-three pages, be proud!! And sorry if anyone seems a little OOC...I got a comment about that from the first chapter, so I hope I did a better job, but...(gestures uselessly).  
**

**(1): Here, Winry's saying, "Ah, that's right, I forgot that you can't speak Amestrian."**

**(2): Since Harry's only completed his first year of schooling, he doesn't know too much magic, and since he doesn't find out about time travel until the 3rd book, he's not too sure whether or not Time travel actually exists in the wizarding world.**

**(3): I promoted Ed and Mustang because after all the events that are going on right now in the recent chapters of the manga, it would stand to reason to have Mustang and Ed promoted.  
**

**(4): This code basically stands for A-U-S-8-0-0, to basically ensure that the person calling was indeed from the military. It was also the code Hughes used moments before he was killed by Envy; he was trying to contact Mustang outside line when he used the code.**

**Japanese words:**

**Ohayo- Good morning. The reason why I put Harry thinking of 'Ohio' was because that's what I instantly thought the first time I heard the word (it was sometime during elementary school). I distinctly remember thinking that using a state's name to say 'good morning' was really weird, so I figured Harry might be in the same situation as well.**

**Iie- No.**

**Sensei- teacher.**

**Niisan- older brother**

**Arigatou gozaimasu- thank you very much (very polite version of thank you)**

**Ano- um…**

**Hai- yes.**

**D3ath: Well, that's all of the terminology that I have for now…until next time! Review! I'd love some feedback, and if you have any suggestions, that would be great! :D Have a great summer, minna-san! And a HUGE apology for **__**, because I forgot to include her name in the reviews! She was one of my first reviewers, so I'm terribly sorry, Vampire! I promise to write an omake, to make up for it D:  
**


	3. Unfaimiliar

**D3ath: I still can't believe how much you guys **_**like**_** this fic. I'm still amazed. And I keep forgetting one small point, which is probably very crucial to this fic: Harry's been abused somewhat by the Dursleys, and he's only gotten over the fact that he was facing Voldemort seconds before he suddenly found himself at Winry's house, so it's left him a little more jumpy than usual. **

**AND OMG 77 ALERTS!!!! THAT'S INSANE YOU GUYS!! I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH XD  
**

**So, reviewers: **** (and I owe you an omake :D You'll see it at the bottom), **_**Lolmaster27, Lilyice, Andrea Perrigo, Xhadow Kiss, Ryutana, Schizophasia, ShiroAndFubuki, XForgottenxMemoryX, Vi-Violence, LynnKurosaki, Starburstia, Lunar Hikari, SillhouetteTheShinisinNinpire, yay4dei, Giant Flying Radish of Doom, Moo-ness, and Hisokauzumaki.**_** Thanks for reviewing! They make me happy. ^^**

**Disclaimer: "We are no longer the Knights who say Ni. We are now the Knights who say…Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-PTANG. Zoom-Boing. Z'nourrwringmm." –Knights of Ni, **_**Monty Python**_**. Basically, I don't own FMA, Harry Potter, nor Monty Python (unfortunately).  
**

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

**Chapter 3: Unfamiliar.**

Harry had never been one for physical fighting. Other than the Quidditch matches, he never really had been one for any physical activity, really.

So, when Edward lunged forward to attack, he panicked.

He ducked under the swing, and took off as fast as he could. He had to get away. However, just as he was speeding around the corner of Winry's house, Ed caught up to him, and tackled him from behind. Harry let out a cry and flailed about, trying to push himself up. Ed said something, almost laughing, and hauled Harry to his feet, patting the dust off the younger boy's clothes.

"Mite (1)," Ed said cheerfully, beckoning for Harry to swing at him. Reluctantly, Harry swung, and he watched as Ed ducked, punching out and stopping his fist right in front of Harry's stomach. Harry nodded, and he ducked as Ed swung at him, punching towards the blonde's stomach. Ed easily blocked it, but he grinned in approval at the young boy.

They continued at this for a while, with Ed slowly attacking Harry, while Harry attempted to block and attack the taller blonde. Gradually, however, Ed began to speed up, and after nearly five seconds of fighting, Harry was on the ground with a bruised eye, broken glasses, and a bleeding nose.

"EDWARD!!!" A wrench flew out from the doorway, and Edward shouted as the wrench collided with his head, sending him face-first into the dirt. Harry looked up, and saw the blue-eyed-blonde standing in front of the door, hands on her hips and a vein throbbing as she glared at Edward.

"Nan da yo, Winry?!" he shouted in return, and Harry sat up, trying to stem his bleeding nose as Winry screeched at Ed. He picked his name up from the conversation several times, and assumed they were talking about his bruised eye and bleeding nose.

Ed got up, grumbling, and snatched Harry's glasses. Harry reached after them. "Wait—"

Ed dropped them onto the ground, clapping his hands, and touching the glasses with one hand. There was a bright blue flash, and Harry gaped as Ed handed his glasses back to him, good as new. "What was that?!" he exclaimed, his mind whirling. Where was his wand? It didn't look like he used one, but—wandless magic? Harry wasn't sure if that were possible or not. Edward ignored Harry's question, only giving the small boy a grin in response.

The blonde helped Harry up before dragging the small raven-haired boy back to the house, up the steps, in through the door, down a hallway, and into a bathroom. Harry looked around at the white tiles and old-fashioned bathtub and sink, and blinked when Ed shoved some clothes into his arms. He nodded at the bathtub, which was already full of water, and left the room to give Harry some privacy.

"Thanks," he called softly after the retreating blonde. He stripped down, and stepped into the bath, sighing as he bathed his throbbing eye and washed the blood from his nose away. He settled back once he had scrubbed himself, and began to think.

There were a lot of things to think about, so he settled on the people first. Winry was kind, vicious towards Edward, and obviously in charge of running things around the house. She was sad when she thought he wasn't looking, but always put a smile on her face whenever he came up to her.

Edward was a different story. He was quick to anger, stubborn, a little rude, and to be honest, a little dangerous. Harry knew that he had been though a lot, just from looking at the blonde's golden eyes. They had seen things that no one should see, and they were almost like hardened topaz, cold and unyielding. But that didn't mean that Edward was a bad person, oh no. In fact, Ed seemed almost the opposite. Easy to please, mischievous, and playful. Edward was a strange person.

Harry then mulled over the events that had happened. How he had gotten to Winry's house, for example. He frowned. Come to think of it, he didn't really understand. All he remembered was facing Voldemort, a bright red flash, and then regaining consciousness to see Edward's golden angry eyes.

"_Al wa doko da?!"_ Edward's voice flashed in his mind, and he picked out one word. _'Al?'_ Harry thought. Now that he thought about it, didn't both Edward and Winry mention someone named Al?

"_Doo shimashita Alphonse ka?"_

"_Edward-kun? Alphonse-kun?"_

They had mentioned this 'Alphonse' before, several times, now that he remembered. He hurriedly sat up and got out of the water; hastily drying himself and dressing himself in the spare clothes Edward gave him. It was an orange shirt with an open white polo on top, with khaki shorts and plain white boxers. He quickly pulled them on, and stepped out, putting his glasses on carefully over his black eye.

He was toweling his hair dry as he stepped out into the hallway, nearly running into Winry as she headed down to her workroom of sorts. "Ah, gomenasai, Harry-kun!" she exclaimed as he nearly fell over, and she caught him, dropping a box full of nuts and bolts.

"It's okay, Winry," he said softly, and Winry smiled, unsure of what he said. "Um, Winry, who's Alphonse?"

Winry froze at this, comprehension and uncertainty flickering across her face. Slowly, she bent down, and picked up each individual bolt and nut, moving as if she were moving through honey. Finally, she picked up all of the scattered nuts and bolts, placed the box to the side, and gently took Harry by the hand. She led him to the living room, and she led him over to a wall littered with pictures. She pointed to a picture of two young boys and a beautiful brunette hugging them around the shoulders. "Edward Elric," she said, pointing to the boy that was unmistakably Edward (he had a large scowl on his face), "Okaasan, Trisha Elric," she said softly, her eyes dimming slightly, and finally pointed to the last boy. "Alphonse Elric," she said hesitantly, "Otouto."

Harry studied the pictures. The young woman was obviously their mother, hence the word 'Okaasan.' That must've meant mother. The second word, 'Otouto,' seemed to resemble brother of some sorts, because Edward was obviously related to him, and was the older of the two. Harry nodded in understanding.

Winry then pointed to another picture. "Alphonse-kun," she said, pointing to a picture of her, Edward, and a suit of armor. Her finger hovered right above the suit of armor, and Harry stared.

"O-tou-to?" he asked hesitantly, and Winry nodded, a small and sad smile on her face.

"Otouto," she clarified, and Harry blinked. So, Ed's younger brother wore a huge suit of armor. That in itself was a little strange, but not too strange. After living in Hogwarts for a year and seeing walking and talking suits of armor all over the school, one tended to get used to things like this.

He nodded, and Winry let out a small breath. She led Harry to the table, and began to pointing to random objects, slowly speaking so that Harry could repeat them afterwords.

And so, Harry's speech training began.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Edward shut off the outside shower, nursing his aching head. Winry needed to hold back on those wrenches of hers, they hurt like hell! He groaned aloud, and grabbed the nearby towel, rubbing his long blonde hair dry. He stepped into the house, changed into some dry clothes, and walked into the kitchen, searching for something to eat after the training session he had with Harry.

To his surprise, Harry and Winry were already there, eating.

"Why didn't you call me in?" Ed grumbled as he stepped past them, grabbing his own plate, and Winry scowled.

"I was teaching Harry how to speak Amestrian while you were showering, and we both decided we were hungry. Is that a problem?" she snapped in response, and Ed rolled his eyes, sitting down with them.

"So, how much has he learned?" he asked, and Winry smiled proudly.

"He's already learned a lot. He's quick to pick up on the language," Winry said happily. She turned to the black-haired boy. "Hello, Harry!"

"Uh…h-hello, um, Winry, how you doing?" he asked, speaking slowly and his tongue stumbling over the unfamiliar syllables, but Ed had to admit, he was learning quickly.

"How _are_ you doing, Harry-kun," Winry corrected slowly, and understanding crossed Harry's face as he ate.

"Ah. Arigati," he said softly, and Ed shook his head.

"Arigatou," he said, and Harry repeated the word. Ed nodded and turned to his food, his stomach growling. Quickly, before he ate, he glanced around. No milk was in sight, so he turned back to his food. "Stupid milk," he growled softly, and Winry looked up from her lesson with Harry, macaroni hanging from her fork.

"Did you say something, Ed?" she asked, and Edward shook his head quickly. He didn't another repeat of what happened during breakfast.

"M-milk," Harry said softly, thinking of the exact same thing, and Winry clapped her hands in understanding.

"Ah, so that's what it is!" she exclaimed happily, before glancing evilly at Ed. Edward glared at the raven-haired boy.

"Damn you to hell," he growled, and Harry instantly parroted it back, an unholy smirk on his face as he realized what it meant. Harry had also spotted the shadow approaching Edward from behind.

"Edward, what are you teaching him?!" Winry shrieked, slamming her wrench against the top of his head and force-feeding the blonde male. "You can't teach him how to swear!"

"Dammit, Winry, I didn't teach him anything!! He just repeated what I said!!"

"Then don't say it in the first place!!"

Harry let out a small chuckle, and continued to eat while the two blondes bickered. This was going to be _fun_.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

"…And this is the Great Hall," Hermione said proudly, opening the double-doors and ushering Alphonse inside. He walked in slowly, with Ron beside him. He was taking it easy (on Madame Pomfrey's orders), and he was still fairly weak from his malnutrition. He was recovering nicely, however, so Madame Pomfrey allowed him a small tour of the castle before he head to head back. "This is where we eat." Hermione and Ron, being his only visitors, immediately volunteered to give the sandy-haired teen a tour, which was approved by the school nurse.

Alphonse gaped at the ceiling, which displayed a rather sunny day and a few clouds. "What happened to the ceiling?" he asked, wide-eyed.

Hermione beamed. "Ah! In _Hogwarts, A History_, it says that the ceiling's charmed to make it look like the weather outside!"

"Sure it does," Ron mumbled, and Hermione shot him a glare. They seemed to argue like Edward and Winry, and Al smiled at the similarities between the two. However, Hermione seemed to be more dominant than Ron.

Alphonse studied the Great Hall. Four long tables were in the center of the room, each with a different flag above it, and one long table on top of a raised platform stood, facing the rest of the school. Long windows covered the walls, and the hall was nice and cool, compared to the warm weather outside.

Al pointed at the flags. "What are the flags for?" he asked, his finger pointing at the one above them, which depicted a blue raven.

"They're for the different houses," Hermione explained, pointing at each individual flag as she said its name. "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." She took a deep breath. "_You might belong in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave in heart. Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart. You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal. Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil. Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind. Where those of wit and learning will always find their kind. Or perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make your real friends. Those cunning folks use any means to achieve their ends."_

Ron stared at her. "Isn't that the Sorting Hat's song from the beginning of the year?" he demanded, and Hermione flushed, nodding. "Bloody hell! How'd you remember all of that?"

"I listen, Ron," Hermione replied crisply.

"I do too, but I don't remember it word for word, 'Mione!" Ron said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Anyways, we're both in Gryffindor," Hermione said loudly, ignoring Ron. "And it's best house there is," she added proudly.

Alphonse studied the other houses. "What about the others?" he asked, and Hermione shrugged.

"Well, they're all good, I guess, except for Slytherin," Hermione said, lowering her voice a bit. "They're known for producing the most dark witches and wizards."

"Not to mention that they're a bunch of gits," Ron spat, glaring at the table and shoving his hands into his pockets. "Bloody Slytherins."

"Watch your mouth, Weasley, or you might find yourself losing it," drawled a voice from behind them. Alphonse turned to find a white-blonde boy behind him, with two large boys at his side, almost acting like bodyguards.

The blonde boy sneered at Ron and Hermione. "What's the matter Weasel? Cat got your tongue?" Ron's ears turned bright red as he glared at the newcomer, while Hermione turned away from them.

"Let's just go," she said irritably, trying to pull Ron and Al away from the three.

"What happened to Potter?" the newcomer leered. "Did he stick his neck too far into the Dark Lord's busin—"

Ron let out a strangled shout and lunged at the blonde boy. "Shut up, Malfoy!!" he bellowed, catching the blonde and his two cronies unawares and punching Malfoy in the face.

"Ron!!" Hermione shouted, scandalized, while Alphonse hurried over to Ron, fully intending to pull Ron away from the fight. However, he was met with the two cronies.

"I don't want to fight," he said nervously, but the two grunted instead, cracking their knuckles. Al sighed, and shifted into a fighting stance.

The two thugs stared at him in confusion, before lumbering over to punch the sandy-haired teen. Alphonse fought hard to keep a smirk off his face. These guys were almost like snails compared to his Niisan!

He ducked under the first punch, grabbing the arm and throwing the attacker over his shoulder, planting the back of his fist into the boy's thick face. The second one let out a growl, leaping at Al, but Al smoothly sidestepped him, spinning around and performing a spinning hilt kick. Then, as quickly as it had started, it had finished.

He turned to see Hermione, who was standing with her hands up towards her mouth, a horrified expression on her face. Ron, however, was rolling on the ground with Malfoy, punching for all its worth at the weasel-faced boy.

"Ronald-san, I think you should stop…" Al said, prying the redhead from the blonde. The blonde sniveled on the floor, and Alphonse couldn't help but look at him in disgust.

"Bloody git," Ron growled, turning away from Malfoy and sporting a split lip and bloody nose. However, he seemed remarkably pleased with himself. "Wow, wait until I tell Harry!" he exclaimed, his face brightening up. Hermione moaned and put her face into her hands.

"We're going to be in such trouble," she whispered, and Alphonse shrugged.

"Well, if they don't catch, we won't be," he said, and he ushered them out of the Hall, leaving the three lying in a heap.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

"You shouldn't have done that," Hermione scolded as they returned to the Hospital Wing.

Ron instead flapped a hand carelessly at her. "Oh, give it a rest, Hermione. It's probably the best thing I've ever done in me life," he said dreamily, imagining a crying Malfoy on the floor with a black eye and a bloody nose.

"But what if Professor McGonagall finds out? Or worse, Professor Snape?" Hermione hissed, and Ron shrugged.

"That's why I'm going to the Hospital Wing," the redhead replied, still grinning at the mental image of a beaten-up Malfoy.

Alphonse raised an eyebrow. "How about you tell Madam Pomfrey that you just defended me when Malfoy tried to bully me?" he asked, and Ron clapped a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Brilliant idea, mate!" he said cheerfully, and Hermione groaned.

"Why do I even bother…" she mumbled, following the two into the Hospital Wing.

**D3ath: Sorry, chapter's a little bit on the shorter side…but sorry for the long wait, minna-san! And, as I promised , here's your omake!**

_**Omake: Learning Languages**_

Harry stared at Ed, who slowly repeated what he said. What? "I…have…cat…in…my…pants?" he said, confused. What on earth did that mean? Meanwhile, Winry had just walked into the room, and she stared at Harry in shock and surprise. Harry, thinking that he had failed to please the blue-eyed blonde, quickly tried to amend. "Winry…have…cat…in…my…pants!" he said happily.

Winry paled, then slowly turned red. She advanced on Edward, who was quickly backing away.

"I didn't teach him _that_," he protested, meaning Harry's second statement. However, Winry's wrench was already out.

"AUUUGH, WINRY, DON'T—" _WHAM!_ Harry flinched as Edward was knocked out his chair, green eyes wide as he stared at a murderous Winry.

"Freaking idiot," Winry muttered, shouldering her trusty wrench.

From then on, Harry swore he would never make Winry mad. NEVER.

Owari.

**D3ath: And there you go :D Thanks for reading, and please, give me feedback about this story. I desperately need it. ^^; Oh, and XforgottenxMemoryX, could you send me some links for Japanese sites? That would help a bunch. **

**AND I'M SORRY THAT MALFOY'S COMEBACKS SUCK I'M NOT GOOD AT WRITING COMEBACKS AND MALFOY'S ARE ESPECIALLY HARD TO WRITE SO I'M SOOORRRRYYY**

**1: "look"  
**


	4. Identification

**D3ath: Thank you guys so much for waiting! My arm is almost 100 percent recovered, so it's all right for me to continue writing!**

**Thanks to: **_**Bunny11, PedroCullenBloomTM, LostGryffindorFoundSlytherin, The Spirit Alchemist, queenclara00, Radish the Dragon, Sakura Lisel, Lilyice, LuckyNumbers, Moo-ness, satoz, WamprickNyx, IrogicalArgument, Kit Ninja, Lolmaster27, If p then q **_**(Remind me to kick you the next time I see you), **_**psykojinx, Xhadow Kiss, Vi-Violence, Sensibly Tainted, Yumetaka-Kouri, EdwardCullenIsCoolerThanYou, and SumikaAmayaOblivion**_**. **

**Thanks for the well-wishes! And THANKS FOR THE 100****th**** ALERT, QUEENCLARA00!!! You'll get an omake at the end!! :D**

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

**Chapter 4: Identification**

_All around him was white. There were no doors, no walls, no windows, nothing. Just white completely surrounding him. He adjusted his glasses, and squinted his green eyes, trying to see if there was anything else. _

"_Hello?" he called hesitantly, and he waited. He received no response, so he tried again. "Is anyone there?"_

"_Whoa." All of a sudden, someone popped into existence beside him, and Harry yelped and scrambled back, drawing his wand. The newcomer looked a little bit dizzy from the sudden appearance, and Harry studied the newcomer before letting out a gasp. The newcomer was taller and older than him, about the age of sixteen, and he had sandy blonde hair that complimented soft gray eyes. _

_It was Alphonse, Edward's younger brother._

_At Harry's gasp, Alphonse whirled around, falling into a fighting stance. He locked eyes with Harry, and he blinked, straightening up. "Are you Harry Potter?" he asked, and Harry stared at him, gobsmacked._

"_Y-yes," he managed to croak out, before retaliating. "Are you Alphonse Elric?" The teen let out a smile, grinning and nodding._

"_Yes." He strode over to the smaller boy, and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you," he said cheerfully, and Harry put his wand away, shaking the offered hand. "Are you staying with my Niisan right now, then?" he asked, and Harry nodded. "That's good, then," Al said, relieved, and Harry tilted his head to the side._

"_Why?"_

_Al let out a weak chuckle. "Well, I was hoping you wouldn't end up with Scar or someone else…Niisan and Winry will at least take care of you."_

"_Who's Scar?" Harry asked, and Al gave a grimace._

"_Serial Killer," he said, and Harry suddenly agreed with the sandy-haired boy. Edward was a little mean, but suddenly, Harry found himself appreciating the fact that the blonde had taken him under his wing. _

"_Are you at Hogwarts, then?" Harry asked, and Al nodded, beaming. _

"_It's an interesting place," Alphonse said, gesturing excitedly. "I've never seen anything like this before! Magic, talking and moving pictures, walking suits of armor—"_

"_I almost forgot!" Harry yelped, causing Al to jump a little. "I saw a picture of a suit of armor back at Winry's house! Is that you?"_

_At this, Alphonse grew quiet, and Harry felt like he had just asked a very bad question. "S-sorry, I just—"_

"_It's fine," Alphonse said finally, swallowing. "Yes, that's me. It's—it's a hobby." Somehow, for some reason, Harry didn't believe that. "Hey, can you tell Niisan something for me?" Harry nodded, and Alphonse continued. "Can you tell him that I'll be looking for a way to get back? And that I'm doing fine?" Harry nodded again, and Al let out a grin. "Oh, good. I was hoping you would be able to. He's probably worried sick with me gone."_

"_I think he cried the day we switched places," Harry said, and Alphonse choked out a laugh, snorting._

"_That's surprising, he never cries in front of anyone," the sandy-blonde teen said cheerfully. "Do you want me to tell your friends that you're doing fine?" _

"_Yes." Harry said. "I think your brother's going to help me find a way ba—" Something jerked at him, pulling him away from Alphonse. _

"_Seems like you're waking," Al said, waving. "I'll see you later, Harry-san." _

_And with that, Harry disappeared. _

Harry awoke with a gasp, his mind still reeling from the dream conversation he had with Alphonse. He scrambled out of bed, donned his glasses, and rushed into the hallway.

"EDWARD!"

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

"So let me get this straight," Ed said, fixing Harry with piercing gold eyes. "You talked to my brother in a…_dream_." Harry nodded, and Edward frowned. "You _talked_. To my _brother_."

"Yes," Harry said impatiently. It had been nearly two weeks since Harry had arrived in Amestris, and Harry was close to fluent in the language. He still had a hard time understanding the blondes when they were speaking quickly, and he still had a hard time saying the words, but he was improving.

Edward's frown deepened. "I don't believe you."

"But it truth!" Harry burst out, frustrated. "I talked with Alphonse last night while sleep, and he knew who I am! He also tell me about Hogwarts and that he glad that I was staying with you instead Scar!"

At this, the frown on Edward's face dropped. "Wait—what?! How do you know about Scar?!"

"Alphonse tell me," Harry said irritably, and Edward stared at him, baffled.

"Hold on a minute," he muttered, and Harry scowled as the blonde shouted, "WINRY!! DID YOU TELL HARRY ABOUT SCAR?!!"

There was a crash from above, as well as muted cursing, before Winry stomped down, her hair a mess. She was in a mechanic's uniform, and she had dark bags under her eyes. "Why would I?" she demanded angrily, and both males shrank back from her angry gaze. "Why would I tell him about Scar?! Why should I?!" Edward gulped and waited for her to calm down a little before answering.

"He told me he spoke to Alphonse last night, and he just said that Alphonse mentioned Scar," Edward said nervously, and Winry's face darkened.

"I hate that bastard," she said scathingly, before marching back upstairs. "There's no way that I would tell Harry-kun about a man like him!!" She slammed the door to her room, and both males flinched.

"She must've stayed up all night working," Edward grumbled, running a hand through his long bangs.

"You believe now?" Harry asked, and Edward nodded slowly.

"Yeah," he said, leaning back in his chair and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I need to talk to that bastard."

"Who?" Harry said in confusion, and Edward grumbled incoherently before standing, making his way to the small table where the phone was.

"My superior officer, Mustang. He's a real piece of work, I tell you," Ed muttered, picking up the phone and swiftly dialing the number. Harry came to stand beside him, watching curiously as Edward's gloved fingers spun the dial around to certain numbers, letting it roll back into place before dialing another number. Finally, the blonde stopped, and he held the receiver up to his ear. He shot Harry an annoyed glance as Harry stood on tiptoe to listen too, but he didn't say anything of it.

The phone buzzed and clicked before a voice spoke. _"Central Military Headquarters. State your name and business."_ Edward raised an eyebrow. _'They must've changed the secretaries,'_ he thought absently before speaking.

"This is Colonel Edward Elric, there is a matter of importance that I must discuss with General Roy Mustang." He saw Harry's eyebrows shoot up to his raven-colored hairline, and he continued to speak. "I am calling from an outside line, and the code is ankle-sugar-oliver-eight-zero-zero," he added.

"You in military?!" Harry spluttered, and Edward brought a finger up to his lips, signaling for the boy to be silent as the secretary processed the information.

"_Please wait a moment."_ Edward rocked back onto his heels, sighing and tapping his fingers against the table anxiously. Harry remained silent, however, his green eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Edward. He had to admit the boy's stare was a little eerie, but he forced himself to ignore it (which he was very good at).

Finally, someone spoke. _"Yo, chief."_ Edward blinked before frowning. He half-expected Mustang to pick it up.

"Where's Mustang?" he demanded, and he heard Havoc take a long draw on his cigarette.

"_Out,"_ he replied, sounding a little peeved for some reason. Edward raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Why?" he asked, and before Jean Havoc could respond, someone else picked up another line and joined in on the conversation.

"_He went out on a date again,"_ said Vato Falman, sounding a little smug. Edward rolled his eyes. Here we go again…

"Let me guess," he drawled, glancing at Harry in almost an amused fashion. "He stole Havoc's girlfriend?"

"_I don't see why they all go for him!!"_ Havoc wailed, and Edward repressed a snigger as he heard the collective sigh in the background. _"He always manages to steal them from under my nose, and—"_

"—You're just not as good looking?" Edward mocked, and he heard cursing on the other side of the line.

"_Damn you, you little midget of an alchemist!"_ Havoc retorted in response. At this, Edward blew up.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SMALL?!!! I'VE GROWN FIVE INCHES IN THE PAST SIX DAYS!!!" Which was true, because ever since Harry came, he had been shooting up like a weed. Winry had to make three adjustments on his arm and leg after Harry had gone to bed.

There was a pause on the other side of the line. _"Whoa,_" Havoc and Falman said, both sounding extremely surprised.

Then Havoc spoke. _"So what are you then, four-foot-three?"_

"DAMN YOU TO HELL YOU BASTARDS!!" Edward shrieked, before slamming down the phone as Harry burst into laughter. Edward's chest heaved as he glared at the phone, as if it was mocking him.

"Didn't—you—" Harry wheezed, unable to get a single word out. "Didn't you need—to tell why—called?" he gasped, falling into a fit of laughter and leaning against the wall to support himself.

Edward paused. "Oh yeah. Dammit." This made Harry fall into hysterics. "Shut up!!" Ed yelled in response, scowling. "I'll just do it later!" and with that, he stormed back to his room, leaving Harry to do whatever he pleased. "The filthy jackasses, I'm five-eight!!" he raged as he marched up to his room. He slammed the door, and sat down at his desk, sorting through various alchemy notes.

If what Harry said was true…did that mean there were alternate worlds, and he and Harry got switched? What if Harry was doing something that involved the gate while Ed was transmuting Al? He suddenly sat upright, his golden eyes widening. What did Harry do, the night he arrived, that made Edward freeze and fall over? There wasn't a circle anywhere in that!

He bolted out of his room, shouting. "HARRY!!"

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Alphonse sat back onto his bed, frowning as he thought of everything that he had discovered. The headmaster shut the hospital wing door with a soft click, leaving Alphonse alone with Madam Pomphrey (who was in her office). As soon as he had woken up, he asked the Nurse to summon the headmaster, and he came quickly. He was silent to Alphonse's explanation, and he spoke very little. Finally, after Al's narrative, he bid the blonde good day, and left, leaving the teen to brood on his thoughts.

First of all, he and Harry and switched places, which could mean that there was a very high chance of switching back, he decided.

Second of all, _how_ were they going to switch back?

His mind still continued to whirl when Hermione and Ron entered the Hospital Wing.

"Hello Alphonse," Hermione said kindly, and Alphonse looked up, distracted.

"Oh, uh, hello, Hermione-san, Ronald-san," he said, and Hermione flushed at the suffix. Ron, however, didn't look entirely too pleased. "Sorry, I've just been…thinking."

"About what?" Hermione seemed to jump all over the subject. "Is it something about or culture? Or something about the magic? Or—"

"Relax Hermione, geez," Ron muttered, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"So what were you thinking about?" she asked, interested, and Alphonse frowned.

"Well, it's been confirmed that Harry and I switched places," he said, and he watched as their eyes widened. "We don't know how, yet, but he told me that he was staying at Winry's house—"

"Wait, he _told_ you?" Hermione asked incredulously, and Alphonse nodded.

"I talked to him, in my dream," the blonde said, and Hermione scoffed.

"But that's highly illogical," she said, clutching at the books in her arms. "I mean, you can't really _prove_ anything with just a dream—"

"I agree with you, Hermione-san, but I think that logic won't apply in this case," Alphonse said quickly, before Hermione went on a long tangent. "He was definitely more real than most dreams. Let me ask you something. Is Harry Potter a boy that's smaller than most eleven-year-olds, with jet-black hair that sticks up in the back? Green eyes, scar on forehead, glasses that have been broken more than once, pale-skinned, and a little skinny?" Ron and Hermione could only nod, open-mouthed. "I haven't seen any pictures of him, but that's what he looked like."

"Bloody hell, that was spot-on," Ron said, awed.

"Oh, and he said that he's doing fine, and that Niisan's trying to find a way for him to come back," Al added, and he saw smiles come onto their young faces. "I'm planning on going to the library later and researching on a way to go back home."

"I can help!" Hermione said breathlessly, and Ron groaned as she spoke again. "Ron will help too, won't you?" she asked, and Ron sighed, his shoulders slumping from defeat.

"Yeah," he muttered. Hermione beamed and faced Al, before a thought struck her. Her face fell, and Al blinked.

"What's wrong, Hermione-san?" he asked, and Hermione shook her head.

"I almost forgot," she said sadly. "We're going back home for the holidays tomorrow. It'll be hard for me to look up information that could help you."

"You don't have to help, it's fine," Al said, and Hermione pursed her lips, thinking.

"I…I guess I could go to Flourish and Blotts, and see if I can find anything there," she said slowly, and Alphonse nodded.

"That would be great, Hermione-san," he said, and Hermione smiled again, clapping her hands.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Alphonse, do you want to go to the ending feast with us?" she asked, and Ron's face lit up.

"Yeah! The food's excellent, you should come!" he said eagerly.

Alphonse thought. "Maybe," he finally said, and Hermione nodded, beaming.

"Great!" she said, dashing out of the hospital wing. "We'll see you there!" she called, and Ron followed obediently behind her, nodding at the blonde as he left.

Al slumped back into the sheets of his bed. "I said maybe…"

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

_Dear Niisan,_

_Professor Dumbledore let me use the library, and so far, I haven't been able to come up with much. So far, the only thing I've been able to decipher about the magic world is that the energy used for magic comes from inside the person, the life force, while alchemy comes from the energy around us. There's a big difference between the two, as you can obviously see. _

_I then started thinking about the use of a Philosopher's stone, and if that could bring me back home. I don't think they're made the same here as they are back home, and Harry Potter's friends told me something very interesting today: They told me that the Philosopher's stone was here, and that Harry Potter went to stop an evil wizard from getting it before he traded places with me. That might be necessary for the switch, so I'm going to consult Dumbledore to see if he still has it. _

_The students are also going to be leaving this Saturday for a few months, so it'll give me plenty of time to learn this magic of theirs and to look for a way to go back home._

_Hope you're doing well, Niisan (and take care of Harry Potter—tell Winry that he looks a little small),_

_Love Al._

Al settled back in his chair, a frown on his face. Piles upon piles of books surrounded him, and briefly, he thought of Scheska as he looked around him. He smiled, shook his head, and went back to work, frowning as he read an old tome called _Properties of Magiks_.

"Alphonse!" Al looked up, and saw Hermione running toward him, worry on her face. She was also followed by three others: Ron, and two identical redheaded boys that could have been related to the gangly first-year. "The feast is about to start! Are you coming?"

"Well…" Al glanced back at his books. One of the identical boys made a disapproving sound.

"Look at him, he's got it bad," he said, shaking his head.

"Really bad," the second one echoed, pretending to be faint. "How terrible! We must do something to help him!"

"Knock it off, you gits," Ron muttered. "This is Fred," he said, pointing to one boy, "and George." He pointed at the other, and Al frowned, not able to tell the difference between the two.

"You've got it all wrong, dear brother," 'Fred' said dryly, cuffing his younger brother on the head. "I'm George."

"And I'm Fred," 'George', or whoever-it-was said. "I can't believe you. You've been living with us for twelve years now!"

"Shut up!" Ron said, his ears turning red.

"Knock it off, you two!" Hermione said crossly, before facing a confused Alphonse. "Don't listen to them. The one on the left's George, and the other one's Fred. Guys, this is Alphonse Elric."

"Nice to meet you," they said simultaneously, holding out their hands. Alphonse looked at the outstretched hands for a moment before chuckling and crossing his arms, shaking them both at the same time. Fred raised an eyebrow.

"Not bad, not bad at all," he said, before turning back to Ron. "Was this the guy that beat up Crabbe and Goyle?" Ron nodded, grinning at the memory.

George's eyes lit up. "Brilliant, another partner in crime!" he crowed, slinging an arm theatrically around Al's shoulders. "We beseech you to join us in our merry-making!"

"But wait! The term ends tonight! There's no way you'd be able to do anything!" Hermione said, and disappointment flickered across their faces (including Ron's).

"Oh yeah…" they said, sighing. Then George brightened up.

"You'll be here next term, won't you?" he asked, and Al shrugged.

"Maybe," he said, and Fred beamed, clapping Alphonse on the shoulder.

"Great! We're looking forward to working with you, Mr. Elric," he said, before looking at a watch. "Whoops! Look at the time! The feast is about to start! How about we rescue this poor soul from this workload and take him to the feast, dear brother?" he asked, and George grinned.

"Of course," he said, and they promptly hauled Alphonse to his feet. "Come on then, let's get your priorities sorted," he said cheerfully.

"Wait—"

"Your books will be here after the feast," Fred said consolingly as they marched Al down the corridor. "You need to try some food, though."

"It's the finest in all of Europe!" George said, mimicking a French Chef.

"The best," Fred agreed, grinning. "The chefs really know what they're doing. And besides, you really need to fatten up. You're skinnier than ickle-Harrykins when he first came here."

"Harry Potter?" Al asked, and both nodded.

"That's the one!" they said.

"We miss him so," George said, wiping away an imaginary tear.

Fred produced a handkerchief and held it to his heart. "May his memory live on!"

"He's still alive," Al said, but they ignored him, leading him into the Great Hall. Hermione 'tsked', and followed them into the Hall, with Ron following after her.

**D3ath: Well, that's finished, then. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (the Twins are so fun to write! Except I hate it when people make it so that they interrupt each others' sentences; they're not telepathic, you know). I also had fun writing the conversation between Havoc, Falman, and Edward. Mustang's crew are so funny in their own way. Havoc's the goofy goober, Falman's the sadistic know-it-all, Breda's the slacker and over reactor, Fuery's the sweet, shy guy, and Hawkeye's just…scary. And of course, there's Mustang, the Grand Poobah of pervertedness and laziness. :D**

**And here's your Omake, QueenClara00!**

_**Omake: Doubt and Speculation**_

Havoc leaned back into his chair and set the phone down, his ears still ringing from Edward's shouting and swearing. "I keep forgetting how loud he can get," the smoker said to Falman, who was sitting across from him.

Breda, who was beside him, looked up. "Do you think he's lying?" he asked, and Fuery sighed.

"It's not very likely," he said, looking mildly surprised. When the others looked at him, he fidgeted. "Well, he's not the type to lie about his height."

"Yeah he is," the others deadpanned.

"Were you here when he first entered into the military?" They all looked at Hawkeye, who hadn't glanced up from her work. Her pen continued to scribble as she spoke. "He told the examiners that he was five-foot-five, but he was barely five-foot-one when he first joined the military." Breda let out a long, low whistle.

"He's lying," Havoc said immediately. "I'll bet you he hasn't grown at all." Fuery sighed, and pulled out their betting sheet. He scribbled "_Edward's Height"_ underneath _"How long it takes for Breda to eat a foot-long sandwich"_. Beside the new bet, wrote four names: Havoc, Falman, Breda, and Hawkeye. He then wrote beside Havoc _"hasn't grown at all."_ He looked at Falman.

Falman raised his hands. "I'm not betting," he said, and Fuery nodded, putting a large 'X' beside Falman's name. He looked at Breda.

Breda shrugged. "I bet he's telling the truth," he said and Fuery wrote the bet down before turning to Hawkeye.

She thought. "I bet he's only grown a little bit, not what he says he's grown,"she said, and Fuery wrote down the last bet. He looked around at the others.

"Winnings?" he asked, and Falman snapped his fingers.

"Losers have to do the General's paperwork," he said, and Havoc grinned.

"You're on!"

Owari.

**D3ath: Well, hope that was amusing to you. Please review, and I'll love you all forever! (runs off screen) I'M CUUUUURRRREEEEDDD!!! **

**Lately, I've been watching tons and tons of Final Fantasy VII AMVs, along with Advent Children. That movie doesn't make sense to me. Can anyone explain it? Oh, and the guys with silver hair sound REALLY GAY to me, or does that apply to everyone that watches the movie? I LOVE the graphics, though (SQUEEEEE). Beautiful :D**

**And they really need more footage of Zack Fair. It's really not fair for him (no pun intended).  
**


	5. Opposition

**D3ath: Hello everyone! Thanks for all of the reviews (and flames—they're good for roasting marshmallows :). School's been tough, but I've been keeping up with the work (along with mom breathing down my neck), and life's fallen into a sort of routine. If I have free time, I'll write, and once I finish a chapter, I post it for you guys! :D**

**Thanks to: **_**I-Like-WAFFLES, satoz, Andrea Perrigo, XForgottenxMemoryX, CrazyMellow102, KuroiWing, psykojinx, Sydonai, and ashter87!!!**_** Thanks for your reviews!!**

**Disclaimer: A Møøse once bit my sister ...No realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given to her by Svenge - her brother-in-law - an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink"… (Monty Python, Subtitles in the beginning of the movie).**

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

**Chapter 5: Opposition  
**

Alphonse peered into the Great Hall nervously, his gray eyes widening as they focused on a sea of black hats. He looked down at himself. The spare robes that Dumbledore had given him made him blend in, but only a little. He gulped and backed away.

"I don't want to do this…" he muttered, and Fred (or George?) laughed, clapping a hand onto his shoulder.

"Don't worry, no one will really notice," he said, and he pushed the door open, strolling into the hall. Alphonse heaved a sigh, and followed.

The hall immediately went dead silent, all pairs of eyes fixed on the nervous blonde.

George gave a sheepish grin. "Whoops."

Alphonse groaned.

"Great," Hermione muttered, her face in her hands.

Fred waved his hands. "Nothing to see here, folks. Nothing at all!"

Instantly, a storm of murmuring rose up.

"Who _is_ he?"

"I dunno…"

"What happened to Potter?" A Slytherin called out mockingly, causing another round of muttering to come up.

"Did that guy do something to him?"

"I heard Potter fought against a _dragon_!"

"Yeah right…"

"Just ignore them," Hermione whispered in Alphonse's ear, and Alphonse nodded, his face set into a solid, neutral mask as the Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione led him to sit with the Gryffindors.

As soon as Alphonse had sat down (Ron and Hermione were on either side of him while Fred and George sat across), Dumbledore stood.

Instantly, all discussions stopped.

"Well, it's been a good year!" Dumbledore said, beaming around at all of the assembled students. "I am sure all of you have been wondering where Mr. Potter went…"

"This better be good," Al heard Hermione mutter, and he gave her a placating smile before turning his attention back to the headmaster.

"There has been an accident with his cousin, and he has left early to check on them," he said, and both Ron and Hermione let out a relieved sigh.

"It's a good thing no one else knows anything about his relatives," Hermione murmured, sinking into her bench with relief.

Alphonse raised an eyebrow. "Why?" A small nagging feeling started in the back of his mind, and it made him slightly uneasy. _'It wouldn't be like Ed and our father, would it?'_

Hermione glanced back and forth; making sure no one was listening to her. "He—he doesn't like his relatives that much. They tried to stop him from coming here…and I think they abused him a little," she finally admitted. Alphonse nodded, his mouth twisting into a grimace. Alright, so that was _definitely_ worse than the relationship between Ed and their father. At least Ed forgave Hohenheim…somewhat.

Ron growled softly. "We're thinking of designing a sort of jinx just for them—" he began, but Hermione cut him off, horrified by the idea.

"Ron, I told you, we _can't_!! It goes against article six of the Treatment of Muggles—" she began, but Ron made a face. Alphonse frowned, making a mental note to ask Hermione about 'Muggles' later.

"But we can't just stand aside—"

"Revenge is not the only path to take," Alphonse said quietly, the words of a certain man ringing in his mind. "Vengeance will lead to more vengeance. You must be ready to face this fact, and accept the consequences."

Both Ron and Hermione looked at him in awe. "Where'd you hear that?" Ron asked, almost reverently.

Alphonse grimace. "From a serial killer," he said, and Hermione and Ron's eyes went wide, Hermione's mouth forming a perfect "O".

"Bloody hell…"

Alphonse turned his attention back to Dumbledore.

"…And finally, Slytherin with 472 points!" A loud groan came from the Gryffindors, and the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws looked at the Slytherin table with distaste as they cheered. Alphonse spotted Malfoy banging his goblet against the table, and looked away, rolling his eyes. Ron, however, seemed ready to blow up, considering how red his face was.

"Easy…" Al warned softly, placing a hand on the boy's arm. Startled, Ron glanced at Al, before looking away, displeasure showing clearly on his face.

"However," Dumbledore continued, "there are some last minutes points to award."

Instantly, the hall fell silent. The Slytherins stared at Dumbledore in disbelief, and everyone else in the hall waited with bated breaths.

"First, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years. I award him fifty points."

A cheer arose from the Gryffindors as Ron turned beet red, sinking down under the table. A boy with horn-rimmed glasses could be heard down the row, sobbing, "That's my brother!! He beat McGonagall's chess set!!"

"Git," George muttered, while Fred nodded in agreement. However, they were grinning at their younger brother's accomplishment. "Good job, ickle-Ronnikins."

Fred ruffled the blushing boy's hair. "Mum is going to be so proud!"

"Shut it," Ron mumbled, his neck, ears, and face a flaming red.

Dumbledore smiled, and continued on. "Secondly, to Miss Hermione Granger, for cool logic in the face of fire. I award her fifty points."

Cheers erupted again, louder this time. Hermione blushed. "It was n-nothing, really," she said modestly, and Alphonse chuckled quietly.

Dumbledore raised a hand to quiet them down. "Thirdly, to Mr. Harry Potter…" A hush instantly descended, and the old wizard beamed. "For pure nerve and outstanding courage. I award him sixty points."

"Even though he's not _here_, good for him!!" Fred proclaimed, raising his goblet in a silent toast.

"His memory will always be forever in our hearts!!" George responded, tapping his goblet against Fred's.

"I told you, he's not dead," Alphonse said, but they didn't hear him as Gryffindor's cheers began to rise in volume. And this time, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw seemed to join in with the celebrations.

"We're tied with Slytherin!" Hermione exclaimed, her face alight as she calculated the points in her head. Alphonse glanced between Ron and Hermione.

"…Is this a good thing?" he asked, suddenly feeling out of place.

Ron grinned. "Yes, Slytherin's won for the last seven years!"

"And finally…" The hall quieted down, everyone waiting with stilled breath as Dumbledore delivered the last set of points. "It takes courage not only to stand up to our enemies, but also to our friends for what is right. I award ten points to…"

The tension was so thick that it could have been sliced with a butter knife. Every single face was focused on Dumbledore, and everyone held their breath…

"…Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Alphonse jumped as a cacophony of shouts and cheers burst forth, and Ron pounded a chubby boy's back as Hermione bounced up and down in her seat, screaming. Neville Longbottom (the chubby boy), seemed stunned, even slightly shocked, that he had won Gryffindor the house cup. He disappeared under a mound of bodies, and Fred cackled, pointing to the Slytherin table.

"Look at 'em, the gits," George leered, making rude gestures at the table. Alphonse turned around, and burst out laughing.

The whole table was silent, all of them with thunderstruck expressions on their faces. Malfoy's mouth was wide open, and Alphonse watched, one of the cronies next to him (Crabbe or Goyle—he couldn't tell the difference between them) began to clap. Malfoy glared, and the boy instantly stopped, which caused Alphonse and the twins to burst out laughing.

"I believe this called for a new set of decorations!" Dumbledore called over the noise. He clapped his hands, and Al watched in amazement as the banners above their heads changed from silver and green to red and gold, the snake being replaced by a roaring lion. As soon as Dumbledore was finished, Alphonse caught his eye.

Dumbledore winked and sat down, his blue eyes twinkling. Alphonse grinned in response. Maybe this place wasn't so bad…

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

_Dear Niisan,_

_Last night was the end of the term (the ending feast was delicious—I ate so much, Niisan!) for the students of Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore is letting me stay at the castle over the summer, and things have been very quiet ever since the students left. It's only been two hours, but even then, it's still a little creepy. Especially with all of the ghosts wandering around, along with the caretaker Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris. I love cats and all, Niisan, but I honestly think this one is in dire need of a trip to the lake. She follows me around, and I swear she suspect's I'm up to something. Filch isn't any better. He tried to hang me from his ceiling when he discovered I was still at the castle, until Professor McGonagall intervened. She reminds me a little bit of sensei, only less violent (which is good…). _

_I asked Professor Dumbledore about the Philosopher's stone, but he thinks Harry-kun had possession of it when we switched places. He's going to be taking me to meet Nicholas Flamel, who helped create it, as well as taking me to get a wand and other supplies if I'm going to be attending the school before I go back. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick (who's shorter than you, Niisan), Snape, and Dumbledore have offered to tutor me over the summer (although Professor Snape needed some…convincing before he would do it). I'm rather excited for this, but I still miss home. _

_Hope everything's going well, Niisan, and tell Harry-kun hello for me,_

_Love Al._

"Are you ready to go, Alphonse-kun?" Alphonse looked up at Dumbledore, startled out of his thoughts. Quickly, he shut the notebook and tucked it away into his pocket, away from Dumbledore's eyes.

He nodded. "Hai." The translation charm had worn off, and he was beginning to learn the language instead of having a charm placed on him (he preferred it that way). For now, though, Dumbledore would be his translator, while he taught Alphonse all of the different terminology the European language had to offer.

"Yes," Dumbledore corrected, and Alphonse repeated it, stowing the word away in his mind. "We'll stop by Flamel's first, before heading over to Diagon Alley. Just to let you know, the Weasley's have also offered to let you stay at their home at the end of the summer."

"Oh—Iie, I couldn't—" Alphonse stammered, waving his hands as he stopped himself from tripping.

Dumbledore smiled. "Molly, Mrs. Weasley, insists." Alphonse deflated a little. It sounded like they were nice people, and Ronald, Fred, and George were good kids…

"Fine," Alphonse agreed, and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he led Alphonse outside the school grounds.

"Grab onto my arm, Alphonse-kun," he said, holding out his arm. Alphonse raised an eyebrow at the odd suggestion, but he quietly grabbed the arm, firmly gripping it. "Good, good, nice firm grip," Dumbledore said, before turning on the spot and waving his wand.

Alphonse felt a terrible squeezing motion, and all of a sudden, they were gone…

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Edward sprinted down the stairs and into Harry's room, startling the bespectacled boy out of his thoughts. "HARRY!! What was that thing you did, when you first got here?!!" Edward demanded breathlessly, advancing on the small, raven-haired boy.

Green eyes blinked up at him. "Huh?"

"What was that thing you did when you first got here?!!" Edward said again, this time a little more slowly for Harry's sake. Harry's eyes widened.

"Oh, uh…this?" he asked, scrambling for words as he held up a little stick.

Edward nodded furiously. "Yes, that!! What was that?! Alchemy?!!"

Harry seemed a little confused. "Alchemy?"

"Where you take the composition of one object and rearrange its shape and form," Edward promptly replied, only to frown when Harry's mouth dropped open. "Isn't that what you did?!" he asked, pointing at the stick in Harry's hand.

"Uh…Iie," Harry replied slowly, obviously thinking for the right words. "Not…what you said. Like…" he flailed uselessly, and Edward was beginning to get irritated.

"Show me," he commanded, and Harry hesitated, before aiming at a pen on his desk.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_," he said softly, and Edward's golden eyes bugged out as the pen, despite all laws of gravity, began to float up. Harry motioned his stick to the right, and the pen floated to the right. He then flicked it into a loop, up, down, in circles, and even lodging it into the ceiling before he stopped.

"That can't be possible…" Edward breathed, and Harry shrugged.

"It…_magic_," Harry explained, using English and giving up on looking for a translation. "It not supposed be possible."

Edward's frown deepened. "But it goes against all principles of alchemy," he argued, and Harry shrugged.

"It not alchemy," he replied, and Edward glared.

"Show me something else," he ordered, and Harry nodded, baffled with Edward's requests.

He aimed at Edward's legs. _"Petrificus!"_ he said, slashing at Edward's legs.

Edward let out a shout as he toppled back, his legs suddenly springing together. "What—what the hell was that?!!" he bellowed, practically spitting as he struggled to get back onto his feet and gain control over his legs again. "WHAT THE HELL?!!"

"EDWARD!!" Winry screamed form upstairs. "SHUT UP, OR I'LL BEAT YOU WITH MY WRENCH!!!" Ed and Harry paled, both knowing the full consequences of that threat (Ed through experience, Harry through observation).

"Fine," Ed snapped, pointing at his legs. "Undo this, _now_," he commanded, promising lots of pain if the boy didn't remove the whatever-it-was.

Harry gulped and nodded. _"Finite Incantem,_" he said, waving his stick, and Edward's legs sprang apart. With a relieved sigh, Edward got back onto his feet before rounding on Harry.

"What the hell did you do?!!" he growled, studying the stick in Harry's hand closely. "You didn't use any Transmutation circles and you bypassed all laws of equivalent exchange—"

"Uh…circles?" Harry asked in confusion, and Edward scowled, marching out of the room. He came back in moments later, and he threw a dictionary at Harry's head. Harry yelped and ducked, the book falling harmlessly onto the bed beside him.

"Look for the word," he ordered, and Harry nodded, gulping. Edward's golden eyes were hard, and he seemed furious at the moment.

Swiftly, he ran through the definitions, blinking when he saw certain words and storing them later in his memory for use. Finally, he found it.

"Ah ha!" he exclaimed triumphantly, pointing at a word. "Mahou!"

"Magic?!" Edward repeated incredulously. "You think it's _magic_, whatever you're doing?!!"

Harry shrugged. "I learning…new…" he dove into the dictionary again, "spells when I came here. Fighting…wizard," he said, pointing at the other words.

Edward was silent for a long moment. His golden eyes were like chipped pieces of topaz as they glared at Harry, and the younger boy shivered a little was Edward thought over what he said.

"You're lying," he hissed, before stalking out of the room. "I'll find out whatever you're doing, and what you did to my brother, even if I'll have to beat it out of you," he snarled, pointing at Harry before slamming the door behind him.

Harry sank into his bed, his face slightly pale from the confrontation. He had seen Edward's abilities, and didn't doubt him.

"I'm doomed," he murmured in English.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

After a good nap, Winry felt considerably better that night. Even though she continued to yawn, she headed downstairs to make dinner. As soon as soon as she was done, however, something occurred to her.

Edward and Harry never showed up.

She wasn't too concerned, since Harry could've been practicing outside with Edward, but when she looked outside, she saw no one. The house was eerily quiet too, and she began to grow a little nervous. It felt just like the night after Granny and Den had died, leaving her as the sole occupant of the Rockbell house. It was before Edward and Alphonse came back from getting the Philosopher's stone, and she was alone for a few nights, with no one to turn to, with no one to cry on, with no one to offer support.

She was alone.

"Edward?" she called out hesitantly. "Harry-kun?!" There was a slight thumping upstairs, and from the uneven sounds, she let out a sigh, relieved. Edward was at least still here, and she smiled shakily as Edward peered into the kitchen.

"Winry?" he asked, his golden eyes wide. He seemed angry for a second, but that seemed to go away after he got a good glance at her. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry," she mumbled, a little embarrassed. "I thought I was alone…" She hiccuped a little, and Edward let out a sigh of exasperation, strolling into the kitchen with his arms open.

Winry began to cry, and she fell into his embrace. He rubbed circles in her back as she sobbed into his shoulder, calming her down. "Shh…it's alright, don't cry," Edward muttered, and she let out a watery chuckle, knowing that his face would be really red from embarrassment.

"Thanks," she said, wiping her eyes and stepping away from his hug. "Sorry…I was just thinking about after Granny and…Den…" she hiccuped again, before shaking her head. "Never mind. Dinner's ready." She began to set out the plates. "Ed, do you know where Harry is?"

Ed shifted, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Uh…he was in his room last I checked…" He seemed to be avoiding her gaze.

"Edward…" Winry growled, and Ed fidgeted, _definitely_ avoiding her gaze.

"…Uh…I didn't do it?" he said hopefully, and Winry growled.

"What did you _do_?!" she asked, and Edward scowled.

"He was doing this thing that he _claims_ is magic, but magic doesn't exist!! It doesn't help that he's going against all the laws of Alchemy, and—"

"Yeah?" Winry growled, a wrench suddenly appearing in her hand.

"I…threatened to beat the answer out of him if he didn't tell me what he was doing…" Edward muttered reluctantly.

3…2…1…

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO HIM?!!!!!" Winry shrieked, slamming the wrench against Edward's skull. "He's just a kid!! And you're what, an alchemical _genius_ that's _at least_ ten years older than him?!! Not to mention he's not even _from_ here!!!"

Edward blinked. "…Right…"

Winry let out an aggravated sigh. "Well, now that he's probably _terrified_ of you, he's mot likely not going to come to dinner now, thanks to you," she said angrily. She grabbed a plate and began to fill it with mashed potatoes, salad, and chicken. "I might as well take this to him…"

Edward hesitated. "Sorry…"

"Don't apologize to me, baka, apologize to _him!_ Don't you want to get Alphonse back?!" she challenged, and Edward grimaced. "I like Harry-kun, but he probably misses his family!!! We're trying and get him back where he belongs!! And no more arguments between you two!! Besides, weren't you going to take him to Mustang to figure out a way to get him back home?!"

Edward pounded his automail fist into his hand, realization hitting him. "Oh yeah! Dammit, I still got to do that," he muttered, heading into the living room.

"Do it after you eat!!" Winry called as she made her way over to Harry's room.

She knocked on the door. "Harry-kun? Can I come in?" she asked, and there was a pause before Harry opened the door. He looked around her anxiously, and she glowered.

"I left the baka back there," she said condescendingly, jerking a thumb over to the kitchen. Harry let out a relieved sigh before allowing her in.

"Don't listen to Ed," she told him gently, setting the plate of food down onto Harry's desk. "He's a bit of a…fanatic when it comes to alchemy."

"What is it? Alchemy," Harry asked, curious, and she shrugged.

"I don't know…you're have to ask Ed about that. I mean, it's really hard for adults to understand, so I wouldn't be surprised if an eight-year-old like you didn't understand either…" she trailed off.

Harry cleared his throat. "Ano…Winry? I'm eleven." Winry blinked, surprised.

"Why are you so small, then?" she asked, confused. "You're too small to be an eleven-year-old…" Harry shifted, highly uncomfortable with the situation.

"I don't know…" he muttered. However, he _did_ know why. He suspected that his friends knew why too, but he still wasn't willing to share the fact that his Uncle was a child abuser.

"Winry!!" Edward banged on the door, and both jumped. Winry got to her feet, irritated, while Harry shrank back.

"What?!" she demanded, annoyed, and the golden-eyed teen opened the door.

"I called the General; he wants us to head out to Central as soon as possible," he said, glancing at Harry sheepishly. "Sorry about earlier," he mumbled, and Harry shrugged.

"'S okay," he replied, and Edward nodded.

"Get ready to go; we'll be leaving in a few minutes." With that, he hurried down the hallway.

Winry stood. "Wait, Ed!! We still need to adjust your automail!!" she hollered, chasing after him. Harry blinked. Automail? What was that? However, he shrugged, and grabbed his spare belongings. A few borrowed shorts and shirts from Edward and Alphonse's childhood days, his sneakers, his Hogwarts robe, his wand, and—

He stopped, feeling something in one of his pockets. His eyes went wide from behind his glasses as he pulled it out. There, bathing his hand and face blood-red in the lamplight, was the Philosopher's stone. He gulped.

"We need to go!!" Edward shouted down the hallway, and hurriedly, Harry stuffed it into his pocket. He reckoned that Ed didn't need to see it.

Winry appeared in the doorway, holding a small suitcase and her plate of food in one hand. "Here," she said, smiling and handing the raven-haired boy the extra suitcase. Another suitcase sat beside her, full. "Do you need any help?" she asked, finishing off her meal, and Harry shook his head, grabbing the suitcase. He stuffed everything in, and slammed it shut, hurrying out of the door and grabbing his plate of food as well. He polished it off and handed it to Winry as she headed to the kitchen. Her food was _good_.

"ED!! HURRY UP!!" Winry shouted, and Harry winced at the loud volume. There was a thud and muffled cursing from upstairs, before Edward clomped downstairs, a suitcase slung over his shoulder.

"Let's go," he grunted, and he shut the door behind them, locking it as he left. Harry nodded, his green eyes wide, and he followed after them, his mind on the Philosopher's stone in his pocket…

**D3ath: sorry, no omake today, but I'll write one next time! :D Hope you guys liked the chapter, please review and give me feedback. And if there's something that you would like changed or added in, please tell me!! I'm open to suggestions!**


	6. Revealed

**D3ath: Welcome to another installment of **_**A Novus Orsa!**_

**Thanks to: **_**Yumetaka Kourui, LuckyNumbers, Andrea Perrigo, LostGryffindorFoundSlytherin, exillion, Vi-Violence, psykojinx, Dragon260, Radish the Dragon **_**(you make me laugh :)**_**, Moo-ness, XForgottenxMemoryX, Hina Kita, Salamander Hanzo, ..xX., Navalka114, Phnxfyr1, and dark0anglez**_**!! I still can't believe how many reviews I get per chapter. You guys ROCK!**

**Disclaimer: "When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, **_**then**_** sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up." (King of Swamp Castle, **_**Monty Python**_**).**

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

**Chapter 6: Revealed  
**

"Wake me up when we get there," was all Edward said before he fell asleep on the train's hard wooden seats. Harry could hardly believe that the blonde was sleeping as comfortably as he was, for the raven-haired boy winced when the train jostled them. He sighed and rubbed his sore rump. He was going to have a bruise by the time they arrived.

Winry caught his eye as he fidgeted, and she giggled. "Ed's always been able to do this," she said, gesturing to the sleeping blonde beside her.

"How?" Harry asked, amazed by the blonde's ability to snore away.

Winry shrugged her shoulders, rolling her eyes. "I don't know. Al and I used to think that he was sleeping enough for the both of them—" she cut herself abruptly as a thought struck her. Her eyes widened, and she stared at Harry for a moment before she squeaked.

'_That's the noise Hermione makes whenever she's accidentally said something she shouldn't have,'_ Harry realized before leaning forward in his seat. "What do mean, Winry?" he asked, but Winry shook her head swiftly, covering her mouth.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone," she babbled. "It was just an accident, I swear! You never heard anything, okay?"

Harry frowned, but he sat back into his seat. "Okay…" He decided that it was best not to pry. Besides, he had a huge one, too. One that sat in his pocket, one that could possibly send the darkest wizard of all time after him. Harry shivered slightly and pulled his robe tighter around him.

Winry fixed him with a stern, blue eye. "Are you cold, Harry-kun?" she asked, and Harry shook his head. Winry pursed her lips. "Well, you should be careful. It's still May, so it might get a little cold out in Central." Harry nodded obediently and yawned. He looked out the window, looking up at the star-filled sky. After taking a year of Astronomy, he could identify most of the constellations in the sky back home, but as he looked up now, he stopped, his eyes widening in shock.

Winry spotted his expression and touched his knee, startling him out of his thoughts. "What's wrong, Harry-kun?"

"This…this place so different," he said softly, looking back up at the night sky. "Even stars different." He couldn't see any familiar constellations, no red mars, no Virgo, no nothing. Homesickness washed over him. "I miss my friends."

The worried look in Winry's eyes melted into one of sadness and understanding. She shifted herself so that she sat by the small raven-haired boy, and she pulled him into a hug. "I understand," she said softly. She didn't see Harry's eyes widen, but she felt him tense up at first before he sank into the embrace.

Then a thought struck her. "What about your family?" she asked, and Harry stiffened up again. "Wouldn't they be worried?"

"They wouldn't care," he muttered to himself, but she heard him.

She pulled back, holding him at arms length. "Harry-kun! Of course they'd be worried!! They're your parents!" Who's parents wouldn't be worried when their child suddenly disappeared?

"No they're not," he said stubbornly, sticking out his jaw defiantly. "They're not parents. Parents died. All they care about is son Dudley." Winry stared at him, baffled.

"Who on earth are you talking about?" she asked, an uneasy feeling growing in her stomach.

"…Aunt Petunia and Uncle Dursley," Harry mumbled, now turning away from her. She caught his shoulder, but he refused to meet her eye.

"But they're related to you, are they not?" Winry demanded, now forcing Harry's head so that he was looking at her. He glanced away. "They care for you, don't they?"

He still wouldn't meet her gaze, instead finding the floor a lot more interesting. _'Me and my big mouth,'_ he thought angrily.

Then it all clicked in place for Winry. The reason why he was so small. The reason why he flinched away from her when they first met, when she yelled at him. The reason why he jerked his arm up to defend himself. The reason why he was so cautious with Edward…

"They abused you, didn't they?" she accused, and Harry jerked away from her. It was then that she knew she had hit the nail on the head. "Why?! Why on earth would your Aunt and Uncle want to abuse you?!"

Harry swallowed. He mumbled something, but Winry didn't catch what he said. She tilted her head, frowning. "What?"

"…They think I'm a freak," Harry murmured softly, and Winry's heart almost melted at his words.

She reached out to pat his knee. "Harry…"

He stood up, knocking her hand away. "I'll be right back," he muttered, and he stalked down the hallway, his back hunched over and his hands in the pockets of his robes.

Winry stared after him, wondering what on earth Harry did to deserve this.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

"Finally," Edward groaned, stretching and yawning as he stepped onto the train platform. "I hate sleeping on the trains," he said, popping a kink in his back, "They're always so painful." He grinned at Winry and Harry, but his grin wore off when he saw the troubled expressions on their faces. "Hey, what's up? I know we're going to see General Bastard, but you don't have to look _that_ depressed."

"It nothing," Harry said, not even bothering to look up. Ed frowned, but he turned to Winry.

"Winry? Is something wrong?" He was growing slightly irritated by their silence.

Winry met his eye, forced a smile, and walked on ahead. "Oh, it's nothing!" she said in false cheer. Edward frowned after her, suddenly suspicious.

"Something's definitely going on here…" he growled, and Harry cast a nervous glance in Ed's direction before hurrying after Winry.

He hurried after them. "Oi, wait up!" They paused for a brief moment as Edward caught up to them, before he led the way. "Let's find a hotel first. We can go see the General in the morning."

"Can we visit Gracia and Elicia-chan?" Winry asked, her spirits suddenly lifting. Edward stopped, a heavy lump in his throat. However, despite his initial reaction, he smiled, his eyes filling with nostalgia.

"Sure," he said softly, before gesturing for them to follow.

It didn't take them long to find a hotel. However, just as Harry and Edward were entering into their room (they had bought two; one for the boys, one for their female companion), Winry stopped them.

"Um, Ed, can I talk to you?" she asked, fixing him with worried blue eyes. Frowning, Ed nodded and signaled for Harry to go on ahead. He followed Winry into her room, and sat down on the couch, fixing her with hard golden eyes.

"Alright, Winry, what is it? You've been acting strange ever since we got off the train," he said, and Winry grimaced a little. "Spit it out," he commanded.

"Harry…Harry's been abused," she said softly, and Edward froze.

"What?!"

Winry nodded vigorously. "He told me on the train. I asked him if his parents were going to be worried he was gone, and he said his parents are dead, and that his Aunt and Uncle couldn't care less." Her eyes filled, and she sniffed. "That's the reason why he's so small, and why he's so scared of meeting new people! That's why he was scared of us when he first came here!" Tears began to run down her cheeks, and she hugged herself. "I want to help him, but we don't even know where he's from…"

Edward was silent as he processed all of the information. Finally, after a moment, he slammed his metal fist against the coffee table.

"Dammit!" he snarled, his golden eyes angry. "What kind of person—" he cut himself off at Winry's frightened expression, and he forced himself to calm down. "Winry, we'll help him as much as we can," he growled, and mentally, he vowed to beat Harry's relatives. Despite his outward attitude to the raven-haired boy, Harry was a good kid. He never deserved any kind of abuse. But now that Edward knew, it made a lot more sense. It had taken forever to win some of the boy's trust, and when they sparred, Harry flinched away, leaving himself wide open for a strike, and the terrified look on Harry's face when he first arrived were all signs of abuse. And Edward just thought that the boy had been bullied.

Edward suddenly thought of something. "How old is he?" he asked, and Winry gave him a watery smile.

"He's eleven," she said, and Edward stared at her. She giggled. "I know, small, right? I thought he was nine or something."

"Me too…" Ed murmured, leaning back. He stood. "Well, no use worrying about it, right? We'll just help him as much as we can." He patted Winry on the shoulder before exiting the room.

Harry jumped and quickly stuffed the Philosopher's stone into the pocket of his pants as Edward entered the room. He tried to look like he was just getting ready for bed, instead of staring at the blood-red stone in his pocket.

Edward gave him a funny look. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Harry hastily replied, slipping off his shirt and pulling on his pajamas, not knowing that Edward was studying him carefully. Edward's eyes narrowed. On the boy's back were small lattices of scars, barely noticeable, but there nonetheless. He scowled and shook his head, kicking off his boots and turning off the light as they got into bed.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_ Edward jerked awake, a scowl settling in onto his features as he stared at the door to their room. "Wha? What the hell?"

"_Bloody Hell_," he heard Harry mutter in his native language. Edward groaned and got out of bed.

"Just a minute!" he called, irritated. He slung on his cloak haphazardly before reaching the door, yawning. He yanked it open, only to get hit in the face. "OW!! WHAT THE FUCK?!"

The man who was banging on the door jumped back. "Ah, sorry chief!!" A blue-eyed, blonde, and apparently-morning-person Jean Havoc said, stumbling back into a salute. "Didn't see yo—augh…" he paled as he took in Edward.

Ed glared at him. "What? Something wrong with me?" he demanded, but Havoc shook his head, mentally panicking.

'_Ahh shit!! I've already lost the bet!!!'_ He coughed. "The General wanted me to escort you and your companions to Central HQ."

Edward yawned. "Alright, give me a moment." He stuck his head back into the room. "HARRY!! GET YOUR ASS UP, NOW!!" Havoc winced at the volume, and he heard muffled cursing coming from inside the room. Curious, he poked his head in after the blonde, and saw a black-haired boy fighting his way out of a mess of sheets. He grinned. "Who's the kid?"

Ed rubbed his eyes. "Name's Harry. Dropped into our house from somewhere or another. Kid General Bastard wants to see."

Havoc nodded. "I see…"

Winry appeared in the hallway beside the tall soldier. "What's going on, Ed?" she asked, looked up at Havoc. Slowly, recognition seeped in, and she stared at Havoc. "Oh, hello major."

Havoc held out his hand. "How are you doing, Miss Winry?" he asked, studying her. She really had gained more curves…

A low growl came from Edward's direction, and Havoc mentally slapped himself. He couldn't very well attempt to flirt with Winry; the Fullmetal Chief would kill him. He smiled disarmingly at Winry before turning to Ed. "I'll be waiting in the lobby, be down there in ten minutes," he said, before strolling away, whistling.

Winry looked between the retreating soldier and Ed in confusion. "What's wrong, Ed? You look like you just drank a bunch of milk."

Ed shuddered for a moment before slamming the door in Winry's face.

She huffed. "How rude!"

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

"So who's this Mustang person?" Harry asked Winry as they walked behind Ed and Havoc.

"A bastard," Ed immediately answered. Winry smacked him on his shoulder before turning back to Harry.

"He's a recently-promoted General of the Amestrian Army," Winry explained, shrugging. "I've heard things about him,"

"Like how he steals other people's girlfriends…" Havoc said with a small sob.

"He stole your girlfriend?" Harry asked, and Havoc flailed his arms.

"It's not fair!! He always gets them right when I snag a good one!!" the soldier wailed. "He's not even—oof!"

Edward removed his right fist from the Major's side as the man staggered. "Stop talking about him," Edward growled, hunching his shoulders. "I _hate_ seeing him…"

"Why?" Harry asked, and Winry laughed.

"He always makes fun of Ed's height—"

"I'M NOT SHORT, DAMMIT, NOR TINY, OR A MIDGET—" Ed fell silent as Winry pulled a wrench out of nowhere. He eyed it nervously, and Winry gave him an evil grin before turning back to the raven-haired boy.

"That, and he's always manipulating Ed into doing what he wants done."

"Shut up," Edward grumbled.

"Here we are," Havoc said suddenly, recovering from Edward's punch.

Harry blinked up at a large, white building with a green flag. The insignia portrayed a roaring dragon inside a pentagon, and suddenly Harry envisioned the Gryffindor flag, which looked very similar. He swallowed back the feeling of homesickness before studying the area around him.

A lot of it was in ruins. Buildings were broken, there were lots of potholes in the streets, trees were broken or were covered in bullet holes, and if Harry looked close enough, the seemingly white building had small black smudges on it, as if there had been a fire. However, all the soldier that were entering in and out of the building were carefree, save for those that were apparently on guard duty.

'_What on earth happened here?'_ Harry thought, and he heard a gasp from Winry.

"What the hell happened here?!" she demanded, pointing at the ruins. "It looks like someone attacked it!"

"That's because someone _did_," Edward said impatiently. "A few months ago. Don't you remember? I told you and Granny to go into hiding."

Winry's eyes widened. "_That_ was what it was? I thought it was because was a chance of me being held hostage…" she trailed off, and Harry gaped.

"What happened?" he asked, and Ed glanced at him.

"Mustang rebelled against the head of the country," Havoc said proudly, a grin present on his face. "You should have seen it. The old Fuhrer caused most of this," he said, gesturing to the broken walls, the potholes, and the trees. "He took down nearly three tanks by himself with only his swords!"

"Wow…" Harry breathed, his eyes wide.

Ed scowled and beckoned to the two civilians. "Come on, let's go," he said darkly, heading into the building. Havoc whistled cheerily as he led them in, and finally, the three of them stood before a pair of doors. Havoc opened the door.

"Hey, guys, I lost the bet," he said sadly, and Ed's golden eyes snapped towards the soldier.

"What bet?" he ground out, and Havoc looked positively terrified for a moment before hurrying into the room.

"F-Fuery, you tell him," he stammered, while four others in the room jumped to their feet. They saluted Ed before eyeing him warily.

A small black-haired man with messy hair and glasses tapped his forefingers together, nervous. Harry blinked at his double as the man spoke. "U-uh…we made a bet. About you."

"And?" Edward growled. A feeling of impending doom hung in the air, and both Winry and Harry shrank back from the angry blonde.

"Havoc, Breda, and Hawkeye bet about your height when you called, and whether you were telling the truth or not," Fuery squealed, pointing at said three and ducking underneath his desk. "I had nothing to do with it!!"

Two of the soldiers stood their ground while Havoc cowered behind them. "I bet that you had grown, but not as much as you said you did," one of the soldiers, a blonde woman with steady amber eyes, said calmly. She reminded Harry vividly of Professor McGonagall with her no-nonsense tone of voice. "Breda bet that you were telling the truth, and Havoc bet that you didn't grow at all."

The second soldier, a man with traces of a beard and reddish-brown hair grinned, scratching his chin. "I believed you, chief," he said cheerfully.

"I'm doomed," Havoc moaned as Ed grew steadily redder and redder.

The last soldier, a tall, thin man with graying hair and narrow eyes raised his hands in a 'surrender' gesture. "I had nothing to do with it as well," he said quickly as Edward's eyes focused on him. Edward let out a growl.

"He's currently five-foot-nine," Winry supplied helpfully, much to Edward's displeasure.

"Winry, you traitor!!" he shouted, glaring down at her. She smirked and folded her arms as the others muttered in the office. Harry suppressed a laugh as he listened to them talk.

"Look at him!! He's taller than Fuery!"

"Hey!"

A sigh. "I guess we're going to have to do the General's paperwork, then?"

"I can't do that!! Look at it!! It'll kill me if it falls over!!" At Havoc's cry, Harry looked over to a pile of paperwork off in the corner of the room. He blinked. '_That is…a lot,_' he thought, his jaw dropping at the sheer amount of it all.

A door opened off to the side, and a man stepped out, a file in his hand. He had sharp dark eyes, jet-black hair, and a smirk on his face as he looked up. "Well, Fullmetal, it's about ti—" he stopped abruptly, shock crossing his features as spotted the blonde. He dropped the file he was carrying as he openly gawked at the blonde.

Edward's dark mood instantly vanished, and he folded his arms, obviously gloating about the man's surprise. "What's wrong, General Bastard?" he mocked, walking up to the man. They were standing eye-to-eye. "Am I too _tall_ for you?"

"You grew," Mustang said faintly, still openly gaping.

"Obviously," Ed said wickedly, grinning.

Mustang fainted.

Edward's grin only grew.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Alphonse landed with a lurch, falling over as his feet slammed into the ground. Only the steady grip on his shoulder kept Alphonse from completely toppling over. He swayed on the spot, dizzy and disoriented, as a voice chuckled.

"I've never seen anyone react that violently to a simple apparation," Dumbledore said in amusement.

"That wasn't simple, Dumbledore-sensei," Alphonse gasped, his head still spinning. All of a sudden, his head cleared, and he was looking at the point of Dumbledore's wand. "Ah, arigatou."

"What the hell are ye doin' here, Dumbledore?" Alphonse looked up in surprise as an old man stomped into the room, shaking a cane at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, Nicholas, so good to see you. I take it everything's working out okay?"

"No thanks to your students," Nicholas Flamel grumbled, glaring at the taller man. "I should've just kept it here, instead of leavin' it in your school, idiotic old coot!"

"You mustn't speak that way, my dear friend," Dumbledore said, chuckling. "After all, you are several times older than me."

"So what're ye here for?" Nicholas demanded grumpily. "If you're leavin' that kid here just so I can teach him, you're in for a surprise."

"Actually, I was hoping you could give him your research notes."

"Are ye goin' senile?!" Nicholas bellowed, waving his cane and narrowly missing hitting Alphonse in the head. "There's no way I'd give that to just _anyone_!! It holds secrets no one should ever—"

"Nicholas, he's trying to get back home," Dumbledore interrupted firmly, squeezing Al's shoulder.

The man stopped, fixing Alphonse with a stern brown eye. "And where is his home?" he demanded.

"Amestris," Dumbledore replied cheerfully.

The man stared at Al. "How'd ye make it on this side of the gate?" he asked, awed. "You don't look like you're missin' any limbs."

Alphonse was watching the whole exchange with growing confusion, only able to understand a little of the conversation. "Ano…Dumbledore-san—"

"That's right, I almost forgot," Nicholas suddenly said, speaking in Alphonse's native tongue. "Ye don't speak English, do ye?"

"No sir," Alphonse said politely.

"He was asking how you made it on this side of the…gate without missing any limbs." Dumbledore frowned before turning to Nicholas. "Nicholas, what do you mean—"

"Just let the lad speak!" Nicholas growled before facing Al. "Well?"

"Niisan and I were using the Philosopher's stone when I ended up here, but it was by accident! We were just trying to restore—"

"Ah, that clears up a lot then," Nicholas said, stroking his wrinkled chin. "Well, sorry to say, lad, but the Philosopher's stone you used is a little different than what I have. Ye might be able to figure it out if we give ye the notes, though…PERENELLE!!" He shouted, causing Al to jump. "Where'd ye put the research notes?!"

"Why do you want to know?!"

"Because this lad needs it!"

"What?!"

"I'll explain later!! Just where'd ye put it?!"

"Where I put everything!" Nicholas's eyes lit up in understanding, and he chuckled.

"Of course, no one'd find it there," he said, hobbling over to a potted plant by the door. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow before chuckling. Alphonse just peered at the plant.

Nicholas just grinned before reaching into the pot. The plant suddenly vanished, and Nicholas produced several thick notebooks. As he removed his arm, the plant reappeared, leaving Al gaping like a fish. Nicholas laughed as he handed the notebooks to the dumbstruck boy.

"It's in code, but if you're an alchemist from Amestris, ye should be able to figure it out," the old man said cheerfully. "Well, gotta get goin'. Wife's cookin' up some good food." He sniffed the air appreciatively. "See ye around, old man."

Dumbledore chuckled. "As to you, my dear friend." He grabbed Alphonse's arm again, turned on the spot, and disappeared with a loud crack, taking Al with him.

Nicholas shook his head, muttered something along the lines of "crazy old man," and made his way into the kitchen.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Alphonse fell to his knees as they landed in the middle of a bustling street. Dumbledore heaved the boy back onto his feet, chuckled a bit, and waved at the street with a sweep of his arm.

"Welcome, Alphonse-kun…to Diagon Alley."

As soon as the wave of dizziness vanished, Alphonse's eyes widened. He stared around in awe at the numerous shops that lined the street, and at all of the products being sold.

He followed Dumbledore as the man took him to a dress shop, telling the kind-looking woman there that the boy needed the full set of Hogwarts uniforms. Before long, Alphonse was walking out of the store with a sort of dazed expression on his face.

"I can never figure out why girls like clothes," he said to Dumbledore.

The man's eyes twinkled. "Yes, they do seem to enjoy this sort of thing, don't they? I myself was never particular about my robes, unless it concerned my socks." Al laughed, eyeing the wizard's robes. _'He certainly doesn't care, especially if he wears something like that,'_ Al thought absently.

He followed the wizard around to several shops (nearly fainting when they walked into Flourish and Botts—so many books!), and soon enough, his arms were laden with packages.

Dumbledore waved them away with a sweep of his wand. "They'll be in your room by the time you return, Alphonse-kun," he said cheerily. "Now, for your wand."

Alphonse grinned in excitement, entering the store. However, his grin faded as he studied the small, dingy shop. It was dark, narrow, and apparently was empty. He looked around. This place just gave him the creeps. "Uh…hello?"

"You must be Alphonse." Al spun around with a yelp, planting a solid punch in the face of the man that appeared beside him. The man stumbled back, clutching his nose, and suddenly, Alphonse realized that he must've punched the storekeeper.

"I'm so sorry!!" he exclaimed frantically, waving his arms. "I didn't mean—"

"It's quite alright," the man, Ollivander, said, fixing his broken nose with a wave of his wand. "It's happened before."

"But…" Al fidgeted, and Ollivander watched him with flat, pale eyes.

"Hmm…well, no matter, let's get you a wand." Alphonse brightened up a little at the mention of 'wand'. "Let's see…how about Oak and dragon fang?" The man pressed a wand into Al's hands, and Al gave it a wave.

Nothing happened.

Ollivander snatched it out of Al's hand before the boy could open his mouth. "Hmm, not that one, not that one…how about Cedar and Hydra scale?" Alphonse waved it, and the windows exploded.

His mouth dropped open in horror. "I'm so sor—!!"

"Never mind that," Ollivander said casually, snatching the wand and placing another in his hand. "Cypress and manticore claw."

It went on and on. With every new wand, something exploded or spontaneously combusted, and Alphonse was growing more and more frustrated. However, Ollivander was just the opposite. With every new wand, he seemed to grow more and more delighted with the challenge.

"Not to worry, here," he said after his chair caught on fire. "Beech and Chimera heartstring."

Alphonse started at the name of the second ingredient, but as soon as he touched the wand, warmth rushed through his fingertips. He stared at the wand for a moment, confused, before giving the wand a hesitant wave.

Birds shot out of the wand, only to collide with the nearby candles and catch on fire. Dumbledore, who had entered the shop nearly half an hour ago, clapped his hands in delight. He couldn't help but chuckle at the look on Alphonse's face.

The poor boy's face was a picture of disbelief and despair, watching as the small birds flew about the room, attempting to put out the flames. He sniffed a little as several eventually died and thudded down onto the floor, and Ollivander waved them away.

"It's quite alright, it was just unexpected," he told the boy. "It's a perfect match for you, but do be careful where you aim it." Alphonse nodded, a lump in his throat as he thought of the roasting birds.

"I think it fits your personality," Dumbledore said as they exited the shop. "Beeches are known for tolerance, an understanding of the past, and softening criticism. From what I have observed from you, it describes you perfectly."

Alphonse gave the old wizard a small smile. "Yes."

**D3ath: Well, that was a fun chapter to write! A little bit more lighthearted than the others, with the touch of human as well! Sorry, I couldn't help but add in the part with the birds. The imagined look on Al's face made me laugh :D**

**Omake, like I promised!**

**_Omake: What happened after…_**

Mustang groaned as he came to. He stared at the ceiling blearily before blinking in surprise. "What am I doing here?"

"You fainted, sir," Hawkeye said calmly from beside the bed. Mustang sat up, baffled.

"What…? What on earth made me faint?" he demanded, and Hawkeye gave him a small smile.

"Edward-kun did, sir," she said, and Mustang's eyes narrowed.

"How?!"

"Hey, the General's awake!!" Mustang looked up to see Havoc, Falman, Breda, and Fuery at the door, all sniggering like a bunch of kids.

"That was some fall you had earlier, General," Breda teased, and Mustang glowered at them.

"Explain," he commanded.

"Well, Fullmetal did quite a number on you," Havoc said, grinning like a maniac.

"He didn't strike me," Mustang said, now growing angry and irritated. He felt like he should snap them into oblivion.

"Come on, let's just tell him," Fuery said, eyeing the Generals twitching hand.

"Alright, fine," Havoc chuckled. He turned his head. "Hey, chief, let's see if you can do it again!"

"With pleasure." Fullmetal's voice oozed with delight. He stepped into the room, and suddenly, Mustang realized why he had fainted.

He groaned and placed a hand on his head, _knowing_ that the arrogant smirk would be on the blonde's face without even having to look.

His life was going to be hell.

**D3ath: Well, hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter! Sorry if people seem a little OOC, I didn't really have time to check or anything. Oh, and thanks **_**hplo**_**; I meant to say that in the last chapter. He beta-d for me :D (hugs)**


	7. Dracula

**D3ath: I had a sudden urge to write this. Blame the Chinese take-out. This in no way is related to the actual plot of the story. **

**Disclaimer:** **Two men were walking home after a party and decided to take a shortcut through the cemetery just for laughs. Right in the middle of the cemetery they were startled by a tap-tap-tapping noise coming from the misty shadows. Trembling with fear, they found an old man with a hammer and chisel, chipping away at one of the headstones. "Holy cow, Mister," one of them said after catching his breath, "You scared us half to death -- we thought you were a ghost! What are you doing working here so late at night?"  
"Those fools!" the old man grumbled. "They misspelled my name!"**

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Harry had a really bad feeling when he woke up that day. He gasped as he sat up, and he sat there for a moment, his legs tangled up in his sheets and his heart hammering for some unknown reason. He swallowed, and groped for his glasses, sliding them into place as he got out of bed.

The door opened, and Harry blinked as Ed stumbled into the room, looking as if he had taken a large dose of cocaine. Harry blinked. "Ed?"

"Nrrrggghh," Ed said in response, flopping onto his bed. However, as soon as he touched it, a maniacal grin worked across his face, and he began to giggle to himself.

By now, Harry was extremely nervous. He edged towards the bed, one hand gripping his wand in case he needed to stun the blonde. "What is it?" he asked, green eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

Edward began to cackle. "I spiked the General's drink!! And everyone else's too! Well, only the punch, but tons of people took a drink from it…" Harry sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Is it dangerous?" he asked, and Ed stopped, suddenly looking shifty-eyed. "Ed!"

"What?! It won't kill them! Just…do stuff," Ed replied, bursting into laughter again. "Man, I can't wait to see it!!" And with that final statement, Edward Elric fell asleep.

Harry groaned and pulled on a jacket, stepping out into the hallway of the hotel. This wasn't going to be good…He frowned when a blue-clad man rushed past him, and started to bang on their door.

"Colonel Elric, Colonel Elric!! We need your assistance!!" Harry slowly made an about-turn, and tapped the soldier on the shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and the man looked nervously at him.

"Sorry, military business, sir," he said, before turning back to the door. He began to bang on it again. "Colonel Elric!!"

"DAMMIT, LET ME GET SOME SLEEP!!" The door was flung open to reveal now a pissed-off Edward. He scowled when he spotted Harry over the man's shoulder. "Harry, could you get rid of this guy?" He slammed the door shut, leaving the two in silence…

…Before the man started to bang on the door again.

An enraged squawk came from the other side of the door, and Harry took swift action, pulling out his wand and casting a full-body-bind jinx on the soldier. "I got it, Ed, don't worry," he called, before making his way down the stairs, the soldier floating behind him. He set the soldier down and removed the jinx, shrugging sheepishly at the soldier.

"Sorry, it was for your own good," he said, and the soldier sighed.

"Sorry, but Headquarters is in trouble…"

"Maybe I can help," Harry offered. The soldier looked at him thoughtfully. He was a slightly tall man, with blonde hair and bangs, framing blue eyes. He looked awfully similar to Jean Havoc.

"Maybe you can…"

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The military was in chaos.

And a select few thought they were losing their minds.

_It all started with the General, first. The raven-haired man had stumbled into work with a stoner's expression, drooling and revealing fangs._

"_General, get to work," Hawkeye said softly from her desk. _

"_Gggggghhhhh," Mustang replied eloquently. Hawkeye glanced up from her own work, amber eyes narrowing as they focused on the General._

"_Have you been drinking all night, sir?" she asked, her mouth curling downwards as she reached for her gun holster…_

"_I will eat your soul," Mustang rasped, and then all hell broke loose._

Havoc shuddered. He knew that Mustang was fast and had good endurance, but who knew he was fast enough to run across the walls, all the while screaming like no tomorrow?

Breda gave him an understanding glance. And they thought Major Armstrong was scary…

"What're we going to do?" Fuery whispered, his face pale as they hid in the records room. His uniform was slightly fringed, from when _Hawkeye_, of all people, tried to bite him.

_Everyone sucked in a fearful breath as Hawkeye jerked to the side suddenly, falling over with an ominous thump. Mustang looked gleeful for some reason, while the others appeared freaked-out._

"_Um…Major Hawkeye?" Fuery hesitantly approached the fallen woman, his hand shaking as he reached out to touch her shoulder._

_He screamed when the blonde woman sprang up, her teeth catching on the sleeve of Fuery's uniform. His eyes widened, and he let out a yelp, his pale skin growing even paler when the woman let go and reached for her gun holster…_

They were still slightly out of breath, from when they had run like hell from their commander and his trigger-happy assistant. However, the more they ran, the more they seemed to notice that Scheska wasn't quite herself, or that General Olivier Armstrong seemed slightly more murderous than usual. They didn't even see the ghost of Hughes floating in a corner as they sprinted for a safe haven.

_"I will eat your soul...come to daddy..."  
_

Fuery let out a high-pitched scream that was quickly muffled by Breda and Falman.

"Hush! Do you want anyone to hear us?"

"B-but-but-but—!! Hughes—"

Falman turned, and froze, his eyes fixed on the apparition. "GHOST!!!" he screamed, and his eyes opened. All the way.

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Harry gaped when he saw a corner of the military headquarters blow up. He pointed at it. "Do you want me to fix that? Or work on a cure?"

"Cure!!" Denny Brosh said anxiously.

"Alright then…" Harry shrugged.

In the end, it was only some drug that Edward created on a whim, one that turned the soldiers into living zombies.

'_Good reason that Dudley's not here,'_ Harry thought absentmindedly as he worked on restoring the entire west side of the building. _'Otherwise, he might go around screaming things like "Nazi Zombies" and the like.'_

As Harry looked around, he surveyed the damage. It was incredible. It looked like something out of a old war movie he had seen as a kid, but more…eerie. There was an axe embedded in the wall three feet from where he stood, blood (which later turned out to be ketchup, corn-syrup, and strawberries), ran down the walls, leaving long trails behind. There were near-dead soldiers lying about, paralyzed temporarily for the day. Mustang had been subdued (he was found breaking into the women's dormitories and stealing more than half of their miniskirts), and Hawkeye had been forced into submission after an intense fight.

They had recovered the unconscious bodies of Fuery, Havoc, Falman, and Breda, and scariest thing of all, Falman's eyes were open. Swiftly, they were taken to the hospital, leaving Harry to clean up after them.

Harry sighed as he heard the loud whirr from a chainsaw nearby. He pulled out his wand…

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"How was it?" Ed asked as Harry strolled into their hotel room.

"Almost the entire west side blown up," Harry said, sitting down on his own bed.

Ed let out a whoop. "Alright!"

"What was the drug supposed to make them do?" Harry asked, and Ed sniggered.

"It turned Mustang into Dracula, and the stuff everyone else drank made them believe that they were his harem."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Even the guys?"

Ed's grin widened.

**D3ath: Well, happy Halloween all! Hope this was entertaining enough, and I'd usually write more, but I'm drop dead tired. And yes, Falman's eyes opening all the way is a sign of the apocolypse. Oh, and there's actually a song called "Come to Papa" that says repeatedly in a throat-rasping song "I will eat your souuuul". Very fascinating.  
**


	8. Persecution

**D3ath: Okay, thanks all for voting on the poll, and thanks you to all of those that PM-ed me ideas. They helped a bunch, and hopefully this chapter makes up for it. As for the results…you'll just have to read and see. ^^ **

**Thanks _queenclara00, Salamander Hanzo, The Anonymous PenName, sleepdeprivedpsychoanimegirl, Elijah Jacob, WamprickNyx, dark0anglez, Hina Kita, Danyeda Goofy Panterita, LostGryffindorFoundSlytherin, completeandtotalrandomness, psykojinx, LuckyNumbers, Radish the Dragon, harrylover101, pichu10176, Itachi Sempai, Yumetaka Kourui, Avampiress, Bella-chan-93, Moo-ness, Madnesslover, Eriklover101, Perennial Rhinitis, llothcat, FallenHope-Angel, rae2009, Xxmgxx3445xX, Cindar, and Heartless-are-squirrels_. AND I LOVE YOU GUYS!! ONE HUNDRED FAVES AND TWO HUNDRED ALERTS!! Kudos to you, Achunaruto and Zoldik!!! Look for the omake at the bottom. :) **

**Oh, and as a reminder, the last chapter had nothing to do with the story. It was something that D3ath-san's sugar-high-induced mind came up with on a whim. **

**Disclaimer: "Who was the first guy that look at a cow and said," I think that I'll drink whatever comes out of those things when I squeeze them?" –Calvin, _Calvin and Hobbes._**

**Chapter 8:Persecution**

Alphonse tugged helplessly on the sleeve of his new Hogwarts robes. They were absolutely ridiculous! They restricted all movement, they were bulky, and to top it all off, they just looked _stupid_. However, the blonde boy sighed in response. There wasn't much he could do, and it would be rude to complain. After all, Dumbledore was the one who bought them.

Despite the robes setback, the subjects that Alphonse was learning were _fascinating_. He didn't like the fact that Equivalent Exchange was pretty much discarded, even with the simplest of spells, but the amazing and breathtaking displays of magic made up for it.

The part he liked the most was charms. The teacher was amusing, to say the Filius Flitwick was interesting as well, with small gimmicks and rhymes to help Al remember the spells.

He also liked Potions, despite its initial appearances. The teacher was…unusual, Alphonse had to admit, but the subject was the closest thing to normal that he couldn't help but enjoy the subject. It was similar to cooking in a way, and, Alphonse concluded, Alchemy _was_ born in the kitchen. In reality, all Al needed to do in the class was memorize the different types of potions and their uses. The teacher, Professor Snape, wasn't the best of company, but even the simplest of people would realize that the man was a genius in potion making and the dark arts.

However, despite what most people would think, the subject he hated the most was Transfiguration. It sickened him to see people turning _live creatures_ into inanimate objects on a whim. He didn't even see a use for the subject, unless one was in need of a knife and there was only grass nearby. But even then, the young alchemist could have used the properties from the earth to create metal, and then use alchemy to create a knife.

"Mr. Elric, _what on earth_ _is the matter_?!" Professor McGonagall demanded after the fifth day of teaching. Alphonse had stubbornly refused to turn the small beetle he was given into a button. "There is absolutely nothing wrong in turning a small beetle like this into something as pointless as a button!"

"Yes there is!" argued Alphonse, glaring up at the stern woman with stony gray eyes. "You're—you're taking a living creature, and changing them against their will!! It's inhumane!! I find it hard to believe that they'll be fine after being turned into a chimera!!"

Minerva McGonagall had stopped after this, and frowned down at Alphonse through her glasses. "Mr. Elric, we aren't turning them into Chimeras. You would require a snake, a lion, and a goat—"

"I am _not_ changing their molecular structure just to turn them into a _button_!" Al shouted, finally losing his temper.

The Transfiguration Professor's lips thinned, and she glared down at Al. "Come with me, Mr. Elric," she said, and she led the way out of her classroom, her robes sweeping behind her. Al glowered, but followed anyway.

He followed her through the castle, ignoring the moving pictures that he might've gawked at earlier, instead focusing on glaring at the woman's back. McGonagall, however, used to this sort of treatment from various rebellious students, adeptly ignored him, guiding the young blonde to the headmaster's office.

"Blood Pops," she said sharply as they neared an ugly gargoyle, and the statue leapt aside to reveal a set of stairs. Without another word, the professor marched up the stairs, knocking on the heavy hardwood door as she reached it.

Alphonse blinked as he heard Dumbledore's voice call out. "Come in," he said pleasantly, and McGonagall swung the door open, gesturing for Alphonse to enter in first.

Al blinked as he stepped into the room, unable to keep the amazement off his face. There were books and pictures of former headmasters all over the walls, with strange little doohickeys and knick-knacks all over small spindly tables.

The headmaster sat in the middle of it, with the most magnificent-looking bird sitting on a perch beside him, golden-red plumage glowing in the light. It let out the sweetest trill Al had ever heard, and fluttered over to perch on the chair before the blonde, beady, intelligent dark eyes studying him carefully.

Alphonse had never been so grateful for his ears and eyes, and mentally thanked his brother (profusely) for the transmutation and Philosopher's stone.

"Is there a problem, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked serenely, his fingers pressed together.

Professor McGonagall glared at the young boy. "Actually, yes, there is, headmaster. This boy absolutely refuses to participate in my Transfiguration lessons! He clearly believes that we're committing some form of animal abuse!" Her nostrils flared, and as Al studied her red face and flashing eyes, he bet that Ed could have given the stern professor a run for her money in terms of temperament and anger levels.

Dumbledore locked eyes with Alphonse for one moment before letting out a loud chuckle. "I'm sure that a compromise can be reached. However, I assure you, Mr. Elric, the animals do not feel a single thing. In fact, several years ago we had four students that performed transfiguration on our Potions Professor as a joke. Needless to say, he remained unscathed, save for his pride." Al frowned, but nodded reluctantly.

"So, if the animals don't get hurt, how are you able to reconstruct the molecular composition of the creature into a nonliving object and back without injuring them or permanently fusing them together?" Al asked, his brow furrowed.

Professor McGonagall stopped for a moment, her mouth open in slight confusion. Granted, she knew everything about Transfiguration when it came to teaching, but she never really figured out _why_ it worked. It just did, and it was as natural as changing a hedgehog into a pincushion as it was drinking milk with cookies. The question Alphonse asked near more to Dumbledore's level of expertise than hers.

Dumbledore turned sparkling blue eyes over to the Transfiguration Professor. "Well, Minerva, do you want to stay, or would you rather prepare some of your lessons for next year?"

Professor McGonagall found herself sitting down.

"Excellent," Dumbledore smiled, before offering the two a lemon drop (which Alphonse took immediately and Minerva declined). "Now, for Transfiguration to work…"

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

"So, what is it exactly that this kid can do?" Mustang asked, fixing Harry with a curious dark eye. The General was leaning in his chair, his face propped up with a fist and his other hand doodling on a small stack of paperwork. Two other large stacks sat on his left side, but he seemed not to notice it as he doodled.

Standing on his right. Hawkeye rolled her eyes, not feeling up to 'convincing' her superior to do his paperwork.

Harry stood in front of the desk, his hands in his pockets and a nervous look on his face. Edward was just beside him, a smug grin on his face, obviously recalling Mustang's reaction to his subordinate's height.

Winry had opted to remain outside with Fuery and play with Hawkeye's dog. The other soldiers, however, decided to lounge around, some by their desks, some leaning against the wall or the windowsill. Havoc especially seemed to be leaning heavily, sweat standing out on his forehead as he struggled to stand.

"He says that he can do _magic_," Edward said, his arrogant smirk slowly disappearing, to be replaced with a more serious frown. "He even managed to pick up a lamp without touching it, and have it float across the room."

One of Mustang's eyebrows rose. "No alchemy circles? No clapping hands?"

"None," Edward confirmed.

"Hmm…" Mustang's eyes switched over to Havoc, who was looking decidedly pale by now. "Havoc, I order you to sit."

"But sir, I'm fi—"

"That's an order, soldier," Mustang said sternly, and Harry silently agreed with the dark-haired man. The blonde soldier looked ready to topple over. "I don't care if you feel 'fine.' You recently recovered from an extensive alchemical surgery, and have only just regained all feeling in your legs. By all rights, you should be on leave right now, in a wheelchair."

"Sir—"

_Click._ Harry's wide green eyes found Hawkeye, loading a gun with ease.

Havoc sat.

Mustang nodded in approval, and faced Harry. "Show me," he commanded. His eyes narrowed. "I want to see this for myself."

Harry nodded, and pulled out his wand.

The Philosopher's stone fell out with it.

For a moment, nothing happened. The entire office just stared at it, and Harry felt sudden dread and horror swamping over him.

Edward's eyes flashed, and his fists clenched. "You—_you had one the entire time?!_" he hissed in anger, and he lunged towards the glowing red stone.

Harry didn't even think. _"Petrificus totalus!"_ he shouted, fear clenching at his heart, and Edward hit the floor with a thud and a curse, the spell causing him to freeze in midair. Harry dove towards the stone, snatched it off the ground, and took off, sprinting as fast as he could through the office.

Mustang half-rose out of his chair, surprise clearly showing on his dark, handsome face. "Sto—!!"

No one made any motion to chase after the little raven-haired boy, and soon Harry was out the door.

He didn't know what he was doing. He was just going to run. The people in the office knew what the Philosopher's stone was, and of its importance, and he was _not_ going to let another potential psychopath get his hands on it.

He swerved past Winry and Fuery, and he caught a glimpse of Winry mouthing the words, "What is—" before he ran past them.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Meanwhile, back at the office, Mustang had rushed over to Edward, who seemed to be frozen in some sort of alchemy trick. "Fullmetal, get up!" he barked, shoving the blonde's shoulder, but Edward only glared, unable to move. His fingers twitched for a moment, and Falman crouched down beside them.

"He seems to be completely mobilized and paralyzed," the silver-haired man said, feeling Edward's pulse and examining him. "However, his pulse is fine, and he seems to have completely control over his eyes and eyebrows." Indeed, from the way Edward was glaring, he probably was mentally swearing.

"Fullmetal, do you understand what I'm saying?" Mustang demanded, before frowning. "Blink your eyes twice if you do."

Edward blinked twice, a large, murderous frown on his face.

"Sir, what's going on—" Fuery began, standing in the doorway.

"No time—Hawkeye, Fuery, Breda, you three go and see if you can track down the boy. Falman, you stay here and help me with Fullmetal."

"What should I do, sir?" Havoc asked, a slight frown on his countenance.

"You're ordered to sit there and remain silent," Mustang said, not even glancing at the smoker. "You shouldn't even be here without your wheelchair."

Havoc shrugged. "I don't need it."

"Bullshit," Edward managed to mumble through his frozen jaw.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Harry sped out of the building, down into the street, clutching the blood red stone in his hand. His breathing was ragged, but he pushed himself further, not even noticing the pale woman with the dreadlocks appear before him.

"Ooof!" he slammed into the lady, who seemed to be as hard as a wall. She blinked at him, before helping the boy up.

"Sorry," she said, dusting him off, and Harry swallowed and nodded. "Where are you headed off to in such a hurry?'

Harry glanced behind him. "No time!" he gasped, seeing Fuery rush out of the doorway.

Too late. The black-haired technician had seen him, and was beginning to shout. "Curtis-san, grab him!"

"What for?" the woman in dreadlocks demanded, and Harry wriggled out of her grip, running down the street. She glanced back at the boy, and her eyes fell onto a small red stone in his grasp.

Immediately, she clapped her hands, and slammed them to the ground, her dark eyes wide in surprise.

Harry ducked into an alley, just barely avoiding a large, stone hand that had appeared out of nowhere.

'_I need to get away,'_ he thought desperately, and began to run faster through the alleys. He swerved and ducked around people and under signs and buildings, not really knowing where on earth he was running. He knew that he was completely lost, but it was better if he got away…

Finally, he could run no more, and he felt winded. He sighed and leaned against a wall in an attempt to catch his breath, only to shout when it broke underneath him. His fingers reached forward, the Philosopher's stone and his wand falling out of his grasp as he scrabbled to grab onto _anything_, to pull himself back up. However, his efforts were in vain. He tumbled to the ground, and hit his head with a sickening _thud!_

And he knew no more.

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

"Edward Elric, what the hell is going on?!" Izumi raged, marching up to her fallen apprentice and yanking him upright.

"Can't…" he began, and his eyes widened, seeing Izumi's fist rushing up to meet his face. "Don't—!!"

_BAM!_ The others winced as the blonde teen dropped to the floor, unable to hold himself upright, or even reach to clutch at his face. Izumi Curtis glared. "Well?!" she shouted ferociously, but Edward was unable to respond.

"Honey," Sig Curtis rumbled, pointing, and Izumi blinked.

"What is it, Sig?"

"It doesn't seem like he can move," the large man grunted, and Izumi blinked again, before comprehension crossed her face.

"Well? Why can't he move?" she barked at the soldiers, and Mustang shook his head.

"A small boy by the name of Harry Potter hit Fullmetal, before taking to the streets," he said, and Izumi scowled tremendously.

"Ah, yes, that boy. Now, tell me; what the hell was he doing with a Philosopher's stone?!" she asked, slamming her palm against Mustang's desk and leaving a mighty dent in it.

Mustang winced. "We actually didn't know he had it. He was going to do something else before it fell out of his pocket. He then performed a strange alchemy trick on Edward, and ran off. The others are still looking for him."

"Harry's done it before," Winry said, nodding to her childhood friend. "The first night he came here, he was scared, and hit Ed with the same thing. He seemed able to take it off, too."

"Well, it's beginning to wear off," Falman replied, putting his hands into his pockets. "Edward has regained the use of his lungs, his tongue, and his fingers. In about three minutes, he will also regain the use of his toes, his hands, his nose, and his mouth."

"Thank you, Falman," Mustang said, before turning to Izumi. "Now, what are you doing here?"

Izumi scowled and folded her arms. "I was going to visit Edward and Alphonse, and wanted to know where he was. It was just my luck that he is here…" she looked around for a moment before cold black eyes settled on the blonde. "Where is Alphonse?"

Edward noticeably winced.

"Um, we can explain," Winry said, holding up a hand.

"EDWARD ELRIC, YOU WILL TELL ME _RIGHT NOW_ WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR BROTHER!!" Izumi shouted, picking Edward up once more and shaking the golden-eyed boy repeatedly.

"Izumi-san, please, let me explain!" Winry cried, attempting to put herself between the two.

Mustang sighed, and placed his head in a gloved hand. It was going to be a long day…

**.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.**

Deep underneath Central, an old evil approached Harry Potter, the wand, and the red stone.

"What is this?" the person asked, crouching down beside the boy and examining it. The shadows hid its face, but purple eyes and white teeth seemed to glow in the inky blackness, the only source of light coming from the hole Harry had made. "It seems like a little boy has lost his way…" White fangs bared themselves in delight. The figure didn't need to eat, but it was so hungry…when its purple eyes fell upon the red stone, and the figure stopped, tilting its head in surprise. "A Philosopher's stone…excellent," the person murmured softly, a slow, evil smile spreading across their face. Its body desired to have the Philosopher's stone, after such a long time of not eating…Carefully, not wanting to alert anyone above in the streets, they scooped up the boy, the wand, and the stone, and carried them further into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Harry's head lolled, unaware of the new danger he now resided in…

**D3ath: So I combined several ideas. Hoped you guys like it! I'm so sorry about the long wait. College stuff got in the way, so I hope this makes up for it! I also had a HUGE four-month-long paper due last Friday, so now I'm free! :D Thanks, all of you that voted on my poll! I had to laugh: exactly 100 of you guys voted on it. Thanks so much! And here's the omake that I promised.**

**_Omake: Professor McGonagall and Alphonse are enlightened_**

Professor McGonagall and Alphonse sat before the headmaster in a sort of stunned silence, while the elderly man smiled, his blue eyes twinkling.

"So…that's it?" Alphonse managed to ask, a little overwhelmed.

Professor Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes twinkling even more rapidly, reminding the young blonde heavily of Colonel Armstrong.

"There's nothing else to it?" Minerva asked, looking just as shocked as the alchemist. "That's life's answer?"

Dumbledore nodded again, his smile growing. "Yes Minerva, Alphonse."

"Well, I never," McGonagall said heavily, sitting back, her bones creaking slightly in protest.

Alphonse buried his head into his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. "So let me get this straight," the teen said slowly. "The answer to life's mysteries is 3.14159265358979?"

Dumbledore smiled broadly. "And lemon drops."

Professor McGonagall groaned.

**D3ath: It wouldn't let me copy down the thousand-or-so digits of pi that I had up there... D: Whoever wants 1 million digits of the value of pi, just go to this website: http : // www (dot) eveandersson (dot) com / pi / digits / 1000000 (Seriously--this stuff is CRAZY).  
**

**Love you guys lots! Thanks for reading! I'm so grateful for all the reviews and such! XD  
**


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